Second Chance Femme
by RainaFox
Summary: Killed by a petty thief, a young human from our world is reborn as a Cybertronian. How can she change the events for the better and stop the war between the Autobots and Decepticons? Prologue is set way pre-Prime, but story begins during season one-ish. Rating may go up due to language of OC...KnockOut/OC with slight fatherish/daughterish Megatron/OC
1. Prologue Pt 1

**AN: So it has been a very long time since I've uploaded any stories (referring to my other account). So here goes this one I've had in the works for a while now. For the moment, I'm just posting the prologue, which is in two parts, to see how well received it is. I usually prefer to finish my stories completely before I post them up, so I won't leave anyone hanging should I lose interest in writing a story, but I'm going to do something a bit different with this one.**

 **Yes, it is a KnockOut/OC story, but there isn't much of it in the prologue. Also, let it be noted that since the OC is a once-human-now-cybertronian and the story is more or less in her POV, the language will be a mix between human terminology and cybertronian. That and I don't want to make it too confusing for some as it can get kind of out of hand with terminology in fanfictions.**

 **Anyways, the prologue is a bit long because I didn't want to break it up into too many chapters. That being said, the rest of the story may or may not retain the same lengths. But rest assured, I'll make sure to not have chapters less than 1,500 words at the least.**

 **If I've made any mistakes please feel free to let me know (In a nice way that is). I have done my research with a lot of things in my story but some of those had two or three different things to say about some terms. Lastly, I have been up all night and it's like five in the morning so there is no telling what I've typed up.**

 **Let me know what you think, and enjoy!**

* * *

Scuffling sounds could be heard coming from the dark alleyway. A rough looking man wearing dark shades of baggy clothing stood over the body of a young woman. The man's face was covered up save for his eyes. He held in one hand a wallet ordained in what would be recognized as Decepticon symbols from the franchise 'Transformers', a broken chain hanging off of a small, metal loop on a corner of the wallet. In the other hand, however, was a bloody pocket knife.

"Stupid bitch shoulda' just gave me your wallet." He growled lowly.

The young woman on the ground did not even have the strength left to reply. Her thick, long hair clung to her bloody body, parts of it blending in with her dark hoodie. Her already pale skin growing even paler in the face of death. Storm-gray eyes glazing over as she slowly succumbed to the darkness.

Thoughts ran through her head at near light-speed. From dreams that she realized she was never going to reach, to more simple thoughts of 'I was really looking forward to grilled cheese for dinner though...'.

Just before she finally let go, she had a single last thought: Was the wallet really worth the chance of getting killed?...Yes.

Her eyes opened once again. Confusion immediately set in. It seemed like not but seconds ago that she had been stabbed in a grungy alley. But why did she not feel any pain? Had someone gotten to her in time to save her? That should not have been possible.

Actually, her whole body felt completely _different_. She did not know how to explain what kind of different, but she just did. She was not even really breathing either. Yet, her body was not screaming at her for the need to breath.

As her eyes began to focus, she found two large, metal beings standing above her. It seemed as if they were holding her. Once her eyes had managed to focus completely she was able to take in every detail of the metal beings. Their glowing red eyes seemed to be looking down at her in admiration. That is when it suddenly clicked in her mind: _Transformers_. The beings standing above her were Transformers, or Cybertronians she should probably say, considering one is the name of the franchise, not their race.

Glancing down at her own body she was able to confirm that she was indeed in a different body, which was why she felt different. She was suddenly very aware at her fans kicking in to make up for her mind being overworked. Mostly she was aware of the energon that now flowed through her whole form; she could feel it pulsing through her. Then, she felt something else. A small pulsing coming from the center of her chest. _I have a spark!_

Ultimately, she decided that she was not really that surprised. After all, she had been a big believer in reincarnation.

Now that that was settled, She moved on to her next issue; the two Cybertronians hovering above her. She could see a pair of wings sticking up behind both of their backs. So they were seekers, okay next. The one that held her seemed to be a bit slimmer while the other was a bit bulkier. Both wore armour coverings of various shades of black and grays, very dull and scratched up looking.

While she had been studying everything around her, the two beings above her had been admiring their new addition in awe. It was at that moment that, what she assumed was her language program, kicked in. Apparently, these two were her new parents, her Sire and Carrier; she had most definitely been given a new chance at life.

Time moved on after her rebirth. The youngling learned many new things about her new body and her creators. Both were simple miners, taking turns for the time being to their shifts at the energon mines. They were a very poor family, but a loving one.

She had found out by accident one day that her family was triple-changers. Her creators were hectic when they found their youngling transforming into a small sized Cybertronian jet and car (though her wings were nothing more than small nubs for the time being). She was swiftly told never to reveal that information to anyone else, as they would try to take advantage of her. Natural triple-changers were a rarity, so as far as anyone outside of her family knew, they were merely seekers.

It was years later when she finally grew out of her sparkling form. Overjoyed when her creators presented her with her own armour. It was at this time that she had finally grew enough to be given a designation. Her creators had thought on it for some time, as they wanted a name that would perfectly capture who she was as a Cybertronian. After finding that she seemed to have a oddly good aim for one of her age (she would often find sharp objects and throw them at various targets) they finally settled on the designation TrueShot.

TrueShot prided her new parts, not that they were anything shiny to be proud about. Her creators could not afford anything new and shiny, but it was her own. Like her creators, the new armour was various shades of a dull gray, except with thin accents of gold running up and down the sides.

"Come now TrueShot, you will have plenty of time to admire your new armour later."

"It is time to celebrate your coming into the next cycle of life."

Her creators called for her from the next room. As soon as TrueShot had been presented with the new armour she had run into her room to equip onto herself. "Okay, I'll admit, I'm a very vain Cybertronian." She giggled to herself as she glanced into the dull reflective surface that served as her mirror, reddish-purple glowing eyes staring back. Leaving her room, she hastily returned to her waiting creators. Not only had they saved up for her new parts, but they had also bought small energon-like cake treats that she had grown to love.

The celebration was not much, as the only present TrueShot received was her new armour. For the most of the night the small family unit of three simply sat and chatted away as they ate at the small treats.

"Do you think I could make it into the Academy?"

"It is possible, though femmes rarely make it in." _Let alone one of such lower class._ Her sire told her.

"But I am sure any bot would be more than lucky to have a femme like you under their command. Especially with that aim of yours." Her Carrier encouraged the youngling.

"What a story that would make. A kid who came from nothing who then becomes one of the strongest femmes around; commander of an entire army!" TrueShot giggled excitedly. Her creators exchanged worried glances before quickly covering them up. Ever since their youngling had gained the ability to speak, her vocabulary became questionable at times. Most days they would not ask, but merely brush it off as an oddity from being a triple-changer.

After some time, TrueShot started to nod off, needing to go into recharge. Her creators quickly rushed her off to her berth room before returning to clean up from the celebration.

TrueShot's recharge did not last long before she was woken up not hours later from a crash coming from another room. Quietly, she snuck out of her room to investigate. TrueShot peeked her head around the corner just in time to see an unknown mech strike her sire through with a sword. As he fell, her carrier came into view; he had been trying to protect her. Once her sire's form hit the ground his sparkmate followed suit, falling to her knees beside him.

"Last chance, femme." One of the strange mechs spoke, his sword pointing towards her spark chamber.

"We are not who you think we are!" Her carrier insisted, gently patting her fallen mate's chest before standing up.

"Deny all you want femme, we know you're a triple-changer."

"Do you have any idea how much bots would pay to come see a triple-changer fight in the pits?" Another of the bots spoke up.

"I would never lower myself to such barbaric forms of entertainment!"

"Says the lowly mining bot." The mech scoffed as the others chuckled lowly.

"It is a decent way of life, but what would you know of decency? You are no more then mere scavenger mechs who are not going anywhere in life."

The mech pointing the sword growled in anger before striking out at the femme, slashing open her spark chamber.

"Slaggit! We needed at least one of them!" One of the others smacked the mech on his side as the femme fell to the ground.

"Carrier!" TrueShot shouted out as she ran from her hiding spot and over to her creator's now empty frames. Realizing her mistake too late, she looked up at the three menacing mechs.

"Well, well, looks like we won't be going back empty handed after all."

"No! Let me go you glitching frag-heads!" TrueShot struggled as best she could to get out of their hold. Two of them holding her up by her arms as they stalked through the dark halls.

"Stop squirming you little glitch!"

"At least we'll still get paid a decent amount."

"Enjoy your new home." TrueShot was tossed into an opened cell door before it was shut back behind her. The rough metal ground scratched up her palms as she pushed herself up to stand. Glancing around the room she could not make out anything in the darkness, save for the glowing bio-lights of other bots that stood in the shadows nearby.

If only TrueShot had weapons available, but unfortunately, due to her being just a youngling and the offspring of miner bots, she did not have any such resources available.

The room she was thrown in was large and spacious, but almost devoid of any light. TrueShot began to feel terrified as her small form seemed like nothing to the larger bots that began to surround her.

"Look what we have here mechs, fresh metal." A hoarse voice spoke from the dark, followed by a series of equally hoarse laughs. The youngling looked up defiantly at the mechs that surrounded her. They looked menacing with their battle-scared forms.

"Back off you fraggers!" She retorted bravely.

"What a vocalizer she has on her. Why don't we fix that?" The larger of the mechs reached towards her. TrueShot stumbled back, tripping back as she moved to dodge him. When another of the mechs tried to grab at her TrueShot stood up and bolted to the side. A glint of metal caught her eyes. On the ground nearby was a sharp piece of metal, more than likely a broken piece of armour. As one of the mechs made another grab at her, TrueShot ducked down and swiftly took the piece of metal in her hands.

"Aw, is the youngling going to fight us?" They mocked her.

"Don't make me use this!"

"How cute." The larger mech smirked as he took a step towards her.

"I warned you." TrueShot threw the metal, lodging it deep into one of the mech's optics.

"You fragging glitch!" He braced a hand onto his wounded optic, energon seeping through his fingers. With his other hand he grabbed TrueShot around her throat and held her off the ground. Pulling out the lodged metal with a grunt, he pointed it towards one of her own optics. "An optic for an optic." The mech grumbled darkly.

"No! Let me go!" TrueShot thrashed around, scratching at the hand that held her throat in a tight grip.

"Enough!" A commanding voice bellowed out from the dark. The large mech stopped and went tense. "Release the youngling." With a growl her captor released TrueShot, letting her fall to the ground. The bots surrounding her backed away and went back to the shadows.

TrueShot turned around to face her saviour, her optics widening in familiarity, though he wore thicker and bulkier armour than what she had previously seen him wear in her last life "What is your designation youngling?"

"TrueShot, sir." She answered respectfully.

"Rightfully so," He looked up from her and at the other bots standing around the room. "from this day on this youngling is under my protection. If I find that any of you have harmed her outside of the arena I will take it as a personal threat to myself."

"Thank you." The mech looked back down to the small femme before him.

"I am Megatronous, you may call me as such. Come now," He turned to leave. "there are matters to be discussed."

TrueShot nodded and followed him through the shadows. She went into a brisk walk so as to keep up with his much larger stride. Their walk was silent, the only sounds coming from their steps. Minutes later they came to a locked doorway with a panel on the wall beside it.

Megatronous entered in a series of numbers, unlocking the door and causing it to slide open. TrueShot followed him inside, the door sliding closed behind her. The room was smaller than the last, but still spacious. Inside stood a mech covered in purple armour, standing just shorter of Megatronous. Like Megatronous, he too, wore more armour than what he wore later on on earth.

Upon hearing them walk into the room, the mech turned around to face them. Though his face was covered by a dark visor, his question came out clear as he gestured down to TrueShot with a nod of his head.

"My protege, TrueShot." Megatronous explained. "This is Soundwave, an accomplice of sorts." He introduced the two. "Now, tell me," Megatronous turned his attention back to the youngling behind him. "what is a youngling such as yourself doing in the pits of Kaon?"

"The scavengers, they came into our home. They meant to take my creators, but killed them and took me instead." TrueShot tried to hide her sadness that she felt from the broken spark-bond. Though her face held no emotion, her eyes were what betrayed her. Neither mech showed that that they noticed.

"Were they triple-changers?"

"I-...they told me never to tell." TrueShot looked down on the ground, not know what else to say. She knew right now she would be fine trusting in Megatronous, but later when he would start to change...

"Your secret will be safe with us for the time being; Soundwave and I are the only mechs who know. The fights were beginning to lose spectators, so the master thought by bringing in some rarities he could liven up the fights."

That was somewhat good news, TrueShot decided. Though, it was going to be hard enough on her as it was, just being so small and young. Thankfully, she was under the protection of one of the greatest gladiators to ever exist in the history of Cybertron.

"So what, am I expected to go out there and fight like this? I'm completely unarmed how am I supposed to fight? I'd get destroyed."

"I will convince the master to give you time to train; I doubt anyone would come to see an untrained youngling fight in the pits. If you wish to survive here you will have to train hard, I will not tolerate slacking of any kind."

"Understood, sir."

"You may have a talent with slinging objects, but you will need more than just that yo win your fights."

"I won't let you down Megatronous." TrueShot held her head high as she assured him with a look of determination.


	2. Prologue Pt 2

**AN: So this one has some KnockOut, not much though; I wanna save the best for the actual story.**

* * *

It had been many years since TrueShot had been brought to the pits of Kaon and forced into the life of a gladiator. Megatronous had put her through vigorous training, never letting up. She would never complain though, knowing Megatronous would just make her train even harder. TrueShot overall did not mind the training, she had never felt so bad ass before. TrueShot quickly grew to enjoying her training sessions as her moves became so fluid-like that she felt as if she were dancing instead of fighting.

Now TrueShot was at the stage in life that was equivalent to that of a teenager. She had grown considerable over time, though she now only reached just above Megatronous' waist. Her youngling armour, the last gift she had received from her creators, had long since been replaced with much tougher materials. TrueShot still retained her colour scheme of gray with thin gold highlights on her sides.

Megatronous had taught her how to use many different weapon types over the years. TrueShot was now the proud owner of two swords that attached to the insides of her legs. They were not very long, but they reached from her ankles to her waist. Megatronous had told her that she would get longer ones once she aged up to full maturity. TrueShot also trained herself in how to use her talon-like fingers as weapons. Megatronous had told her of how seekers would often use theirs as weapons, and it did help at times to have multiple options for attack.

Even though it was not allowed in the arena, Soundwave did look into having a blaster installed onto TrueShot's form. They would try installing it on her arm, giving her a blaster similar to Megatronous', but every time it would change and become something of a sniper's scope. After several different attempts with trying to reinstall the blaster they gave up and let it be.

During her time in the pits, TrueShot's wings had grown in fully. Though, unlike most seeker wings that pointed up and out to the side, hers pointed downwards, almost cape-like.

TrueShot sat inside of her own cell-like room, sharpening her twin swords and nails. Today was the day she was to debut in the arena. She paid no attention to the going-ons outside of her room, as the other gladiators were hustling and bustling about in excitement over TrueShot's debut. Most just wanted to see her fall; to see Megatronous' hard work in training her fail. Alone inside of her room, red-purple optics stayed trained on her blades as they became ever sharper. So caught up, in fact, that she did not hear the door to her room slide open.

"TrueShot," Megatronous' voice broke her out of her trance-like state. She stayed her hand atop her blade, looking up at the mech in front of her. "it is time." TrueShot placed her swords back into their holders on the insides of her legs. She stood from her berth, standing tall beside of her mentor. "First, we shall go to Soundwave and have him give you a systems check up."

"Of course, sir." She followed him out of her room, and into the room they had turned into a workshop that sat between the mech's rooms. Soundwave stood with his back to them at his work table. He was once again working on the small drone of his. Upon hearing the door slide open, Soundwave set aside the drone and turned to face them.

Using his extra appendages, Soundwave connected into TrueShot's system. Text appeared on his visor, displaying her vitals. It was a weird feeling, and though it sounded wrong, she could feel Soundwave inside of her. After a few moments more, TrueShot felt his influence recede. He gave Megatronous a nod, indicating her status.

"Let us not keep them waiting then." Megatronous told the young femme before turning to leave for the arena. TrueShot gave Soundwave a small nod, her way of thanking him, then left to follow Megatronous.

"Nervous?" He asked as they walked, noticing TrueShot clenching and un-clenching her fists.

"Somewhat, though I'm more excited than anything else. This is going to be my debut fight after all." TrueShot replied, looking up towards him with a smirk. "Have you heard who I'll be going up against?"

"Remember, do not get so caught up in the heat of battle that you lose sight of your goal. Unfortunately I do not know who you will be fighting against, as that bit of information seems to have been withheld. I assume you will be pitted against on of the higher ranked mechs, seeing as how I did personally train you; they expect you to be able to put up a decent fight."

TrueShot gripped the handle of her swords. "I'll be more than happy to give them the gore they so desire then." The two stopped upon reaching the doorway that led to the arena, where TrueShot would be making her debut entrance as a gladiator.

"When the doors open you will step forward into the arena and they will announce you. Then your opponent will enter and will be introduced just the same. "

"It won't be you or Soundwave though, right?"

"No."

TrueShot nodded, mostly to herself. "Alright then, I'm ready." The door slid open and the two were overcome with the shouts of the audience. TrueShot sent one last glance up to her mentor before stepping out into the arena. A voice began to speak over the crowd introducing her, and the screams quieted down.

"Brought to us cycles ago as an orphaned sparkling," _Orphaned my aft._ "this young femme has been trained by Megatronous himself. We bring to you in her debut fight, Kaon's first triple-changer femme," Many of the audience began to whisper at the mention of her being a triple-changer. "TrueShot!"

She raised a fist into the air as she had seen others do upon first entering the arena; the crowd erupted once again. TrueShot smirked, she had been somewhat of an attention hog in her previous life, so to hear the crowd shouting for her just felt right.

"For her opponent, we have a mech who's rough around the edges even to his spark. Known for his brutality in the arena, he comes today seeking to gain revenge for his loss." _No, it can't be!_ "DarkIron!"

Another set of doors opened on the far side of the arena, allowing the large mech to step into the arena. He slowly sauntered over to the middle where TrueShot stood, stopping mere feet away.

"Surprised to see me youngling?" He smirked. "It's time to finish what I started; an optic for an optic." He gave the patch over his lost eye a tap as he pointed at it.

"I'm not the same small femme I was back then. I've gotten stronger!" She growled in return, narrowing her optics into a glare.

"Yes, yes, trained by the _Mighty Megatronous_ himself, but even then, you are still just a weak femme."

"You dare mock my mentor? He's twice the mech you'll ever be. And just because I'm a femme doesn't mean I'm weak. Brute strength isn't everything." She shot back, gripping the handles of her swords. "I mean, you do have to have a mind in the first place to know your left from your right," TrueShot tapped the side of her head. "that is to know which way to swing your sword." This was her play, trying to get him rattled up so in his anger he would make mistakes.

"We shall see, you glitch!" DarkIron gritted his denta.

The crowd roared, the 'trash talking' getting them even more excited.

"Battle will commence in 3-" A computerized voice began to count down. "2, 1, fight!"

DarkIron made the first move as he pulled out a sword from within the armour on his arm. The sword expanded in size as he charged towards her. TrueShot rolled to the side and right behind DarkIron, barely managing to dodge the attack. She twisted her body as she moved, refusing to show her back to the mech. As TrueShot regained her balance she quickly pulled out her own swords, slashing at his back while he was still facing the other way, then quickly jumped back and away from him.

DarkIron grunted at the pain, but quickly retaliated by swinging his large sword in a wide arc, nicking TrueShot just below one of her optics. _He's serious about the optic thing isn't he._

"Well what do you know, the little glitch isn't invincible." DarkIron smirked arrogantly.

"Never said I was." TrueShot retored, switching the swords in her hands around so the blades were pointed downwards. DarkIron charged towards her again, swinging his sword down at her vertically. Again, she dodged to the side.

"Stop running and fight me like a real gladiator!" The mech growled in great annoyance.

"You want me to fight, fine then."

TrueShot charged at him from the side. DarkIron smirked as she took his bait. He swung the sword around from the side, aiming to cut in her in half. TrueShot saw his change in movement and quickly went to defend herself. She braced the flat sides of her swords to her side just in time for the mech's sword to hit. Luckily, her swords held strong to the attack, but the brute strength of his swing sent TrueShot's body flying through the air into the nearby arena wall. Before she could get back up, DarkIron had rushed over to her, picking her up by her throat. TrueShot found herself being held up in the air, higher than the mech himself.

"No matter who you're trained by, you will always just be a weak little femme."

"You should stop yammering and pay more attention to you opponent." She choked out.

"I'm about to crush your throat and then this will be all-" DarkIron was interrupted as TrueShot landed a kick to his throat. The large mech released his held from her throat and went to grasp at his own. "You little glitch!" His voice was full of static, showing that her kick had done actual damage.

"I did warn you." With one swift motion, she had severed his other arm, the one he held his sword with. After placing her own swords back into their holders, she took hold of his much larger one.

With the one arm he now had, DarkIron firmly grasped the open wound, attempting to stop the leaking of energon. It was to no avail as a puddle had begun to form below the stump. TrueShot sauntered closer to him and took hold of his throat, lifting him up as high as she could with her much shorter stature.

"Fini...sh...it." His static-filled voice barely managed to get out as he slowly started to slip.

"Oh I will, but I'll do it my way." She thrust his own sword through his chest, making sure to avoid his spark chamber, and impaled him onto the arena wall.

"There are creatures on a faraway planet who call this the 'Bloody Eagle'. Originally, it is meant to be done from a persons back, to slowly kill them." She smirked darkly. "but seeing as how I don't have much time, with all the leaking you're doing, I'm going to switch it up. And I want to make sure you can see everything I'm doing to you."

"What are you- ahhh!" TrueShot thrust her hands into his mid-section and began to disconnect various wires, leaving them hanging down. Any larger wires or parts she found were disconnected and then pinned to walls next to him with parts of his own armour that she tore off.

"I do appreciate you being my first kill though." She confided in him as she saw his one optic began to dim. "A small, weak femme like me taking down a large mech such as yourself is sure to get my reputation to skyrocket." DarkIron's optic went offline, his spark giving out.

TrueShot thrust and energon covered fist into the air causing the crowd to erupt in a loud roar of applause. She felt as if she were floating; the rush having yet to wear off.

Inside his own special spectating booth, Megatronous sat with Soundwave watching the fight. The larger gladiator would have to admit, he did not expect the youngling he had taken in to have such a blood lust. He had chosen well when he decided to spare her from the mercy of the other gladiators; she would prove to be a very loyal and worthy follower in the revolution that was soon to come.

A dull gray vehicle raced through the streets of Kaon, thin gold strips reflecting the nearby lights at the vehicle passed by. TrueShot was finally free of the gladiatorial pits. She did not, however, buy her own freedom as was custom, but only part of it. Seeing as how she, along with Soundwave, were the only two bots Megatronous trusted completely; he wanted both of them to be by his side when he began his revolution. Her total earned credits were only able to pay for half of her freedom, so Megatronous took care of the rest. The one thing TrueShot was not sure about was whether Megatronous actually used credits or 'persuaded' them otherwise. Either way, she was one happy femme. Though she did go out with a bang. She had completely decimated her last opponent, her last words before leaving the arena being a small speech calling the proprietors of the arena every dirty word she knew and then some. TrueShot wanted to leave an impact on the gladiatorial world, and her stunt would surely end up in the archives in one form or another.

 _A helm soared across the arena as TrueShot decapitated her opponent. She thrust her energon covered sword and hand into the air. The crowd once again erupting at her show of gore. TrueShot had grown into quite a gladiator over the years, making a name for herself._

" _What a spectacle that was for her last fight as a gladiator! The triple-changer femme TrueShot has done it again and completely decimated her opponents!" The announcer shouted._

 _Decimated was an understatement, she had destroyed her opponents in such a brutal way that he was nothing more than scrap piles. Well, except the last one, TrueShot thought she would finish him off in a more simpler way, plus she figured his head flying through the air would make an awesome added affect. It was such an absolute massacre of a fight that she was covered in her opponent's energon. TrueShot had wanted her last fight to be memorable, something that would be remembered throughout the history of Cybertron. Her next step was to leave them with words to think on. However, chances are that most would simply brush off her words as nothing more than expected madness from a triple-changer, but there would also be those who would take them as more._

" _I hope you've all thoroughly enjoyed all the gore I have presented to you throughout the many cycles I have been confined here." TrueShot's voice resounded through the large pit of an arena. "I know I certainly have enjoyed it. However, I will rejoice the day in which the truth about just how I came to be confined here finally comes to light;" by now the so called 'owners' of the establishment had begun to catch on, while those spectating began to whisper among themselves. "the day when all your corrupted 'business' moves comes into the light!" She pointed a sword towards the large box in which the owners would sit as they watched the fights. Out of the corner of her sights she could see the arena doors opening as some bots came to apprehend her before she said anymore. "But it seems as my time here is over. See ya'!" TrueShot hastily put her swords away, mock saluting up at the box, and transformed into her alt form. She sped around the bots, shouting obscenities at them and the owners as she drove out of the pit and back to her cell-like room. Sure she would be reprimanded, or they would try to, but they would not be able to do anything to her for fear of what Megatronous would do to them._

It had been a few hours now that TrueShot had been merely driving around carefree, just happy to be out of the pits. She had gotten so caught up in her cruising that she had almost missed her destination. Megatronous and Soundwave had purchased a small housing unit to use as a base of operations of sorts.

 _My new home._ TrueShot approached the building slowly, having transformed back into her bipedal mode, taking in what would be her new surroundings for some time. It was not in a 'bad' part of Kaon, but more so on the edges. A type of middle class housing area. The building itself was not anything spectacular, just a large gray box with a couple dusty windows here and there.

TrueShot entered the building. Like the outside, the inside was not anything fancy either, but rather dull and undecorated. The two mechs would not have any need for such material items anyways. Maybe she could convince them to buy a couple things...

"TrueShot, how does it feel to be a free femme?" Megatronous greeted her as she entered what appeared to be a living area. Soundwave and himself stood at a table looking over various records held on datapads.

"Different, a good different. I'm just glad I don't have to always be watching over my shoulder." _At least for the time being._

"I am sure you will soon be easily acclimated to your new lifestyle." He raised a hand to place on her shoulder in reassurance. After a few seconds he removed his hand and took something off of the table. "There are a large sum of credits held on this card, why don't you treat yourself in celebration of your freedom?" Megatronous held the card out to TrueShot, who took it with slight uncertainty.

"Are you sure?" _There are better things to be done with our credits, even though neither of them would really be into buying things except energon._

"I trust that you know when enough is enough."

"O-of course, thank you Megatronous."

He gave a wave, "Think of it as a gift from Soundwave and I."

"Thank you as well then, Soundwave." TrueShot turned to the other mech, receiving a silent nod in return.

Megatronous turned his attention back to the files on the table. TrueShot pocketed the card into her subspace compartment as she turned to leave the room.

"Oh, and TrueShot," Megatronous addressed her before she took the last step out of the room. TrueShot halted in her steps, glancing towards him. "enjoy yourself, you have earned it." _In other words don't feel like I have to rush back here._

TrueShot nodded, knowing Megatronous did not see her reply, but more out of habit from her past life; she was never much of a conversationalist.

It was a quick trip to the shopping area nearby. TrueShot was excited to be finally venturing out into Cybertron; she pushed whatever speed limits were enforced on the roads in-between.

Once she reached the large, bright building she transformed into bipedal and walked inside. She received looks from many of the bots walking around inside, but paid them no mind. Compared to their shiny forms, TrueShot seemed incredibly dull and scratched up. A few seemed to recognize her from the pits and moved away from her for fear of suddenly being assaulted.

The shopping area was so different, yet so alike, to the malls TrueShot had visited in her old life; of which she could only vaguely remember now. There were many shops selling different items.

TrueShot became so engrossed in her gawking that she did not notice the red mech who's path she was about to cross.

"Watch where you are walking femme!" He growled agitatedly, looking himself over. "You could have scratched my finish.

"I'm so sorry," TrueShot stuttered in a quick apology. "it's just this is my first time in a place like this and-" She trailed off as she took a look at just who she had run into, realization dawning on her face. Seeing him on screen was nothing compared to seeing him in person. To quote one of her old favourite video games from when she was human, she was most certainly 'not prepared'.

By now he was giving her a questionable look, as she had stopped talking mid-sentence. "Your finish is breathtaking." TrueShot let slip before she could remember what she was saying. While her choice of words seemed odd to him, the mech took it as a compliment regardless.

"Well it's good to know there's still bots who appreciate all the hard work I put into my finish." He smirked proudly. "So, do I get the honour of knowing the designation of such a femme who appreciates true beauty?"

It took all of her self-control, all the years of training, to keep her cooling systems from making too much noise as it tried to keep her body from overheating. _I used to be a gladiator for Primus' sake! What is this, hormones or something? I mean I am still a relatively young femme...it probably is just hormones, or some program...yeah let's blame that._

"TrueShot." She finally managed to get out.

"Wait, TrueShot the gladiator? One of the rare triple-changers?"

"The very same." TrueShot answered, confidence returning.

"I've seen many of your fights; you are truly a sadistic femme." _KnockOut just complimented me?!_ "That is something else incredibly rare. So am I right to assume that you are here to celebrate your recent release?"

"You would assume correctly." TrueShot smirked proudly. "I was hoping to get my finish worked on, seeing as how the pits don't allow for much in the way of amenities and such." She gestured to her dull and incredibly scratched up frame. "Do I also get the pleasure of learning your designation?"

"I suppose it is only fair since I know yours. You may call me KnockOut."

"Such a fitting name. You wouldn't happen to be a model or something?" It was a bit of a joke, TrueShot still held onto some of her awkwardness when it came to conversations. _That is one of the stupidest pick-up lines in the history of pick-up lines, get it together!_

"Why yes actually. I specialize in some of the most top credit alt modes." _Holy shit, that was a hell of a shot in the dark._ "Though I have been training in being a medic for some time now; as much as I'd hate to admit it, looks can only get you so far." He sighed. "Say, why don't I show you around? I'll even show you to one of the best shops to get your finish done."

She was screaming internally. Before quickly berating herself. _You are a trained killing machine, yet one day out of the pits and I'm back to being a crazy fangirl? I guess seeing KnockOut in person brought my old personality back._ "I would be honoured." TrueShot replied dreamily.

It was hours later that TrueShot parted ways with the narcissistic medic and finally returned to her new home. Emotions still running wild, she managed to get them mostly bottled up as she approached the unit. Not only had KnockOut shown her to an amazing shop to fix up her finish, but he had also recommended different waxes and gotten her discounts for both.

The thin, gold lines that highlighted her sides and arms had a bright gleam with hit the right way with light. Her finish overall was no longer just a dull gray, but also had a bit of a gleam. Most of the scratches she had gained in her time as a gladiator were now gone, but a few prominent ones still remained, including the mark under her eye from her very first fight. The waxes KnockOut had recommended, along with a couple other items, would help her frame keep its shine.

In the end he had treated her to some energon treats, just like the ones her creator's had bought her before their ultimate offlining. It was interesting though, to see how KnockOut was before the war had broken out. He seemed to be a bit friendlier and not as sadistic. Or maybe he just had more of a hold on it; TrueShot did take notice how his eyes seemed to light up when he mention how sadistic she was. Just like Megatronous was not as angry as he would be in the far future.

TrueShot could definitely feel it though. Like the seconds before a lightning strike where the energy was gathering up before it struck the ground. Tension was building up quick; the war would soon be underway.


	3. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm fairly impressed with how much attention this story has gotten within a short amount of time. So I give you the first chapter. A certain someone who pops up towards the end might seem a bit OOC, but then again, we did not get much screen time with him so I thought it left some room for modification.**

 **Also, thanks to all those who favourited, followed, reviewed, and in general gave my story a chance by just reading it. You guys make me happy =)**

 **And for anyone that noticed I called their alt-form an auto-form in the prequel...it was 4 in the morning when I wrote most of that and words were not coming to me.**

 **Anywho...enjoy the official chapter 1**

* * *

In the darkness of the berth room there was a large holding cell, a pod. There were many other choices on the warship that it could have been stored, but Megatron refused to allow it to be placed anywhere else. He did not trust it to be too far away from himself.

Inside of the cell was a gray Cybertronian, sleeping in a deep stasis. Dust having gathered from the centuries of lying still. The form was riddled with various battle scars. At first glance the figure seemed like a mech, but upon further inspection you could tell that it was a femme.

 _Systems rebooting. Initiating start up programs. Updating systems from nearby network. Connected to Nemesis mainframes: Updating processor time table. Operating systems returning to normal functioning standards._

A sharp, pointed finger gave a twitch.

 _Audio and visual programs returning to full functionality._

Glowing red-purple optics beamed online as TrueShot came out of stasis. All her programs booting up with haste. She felt as if she had not moved in centuries, which was more than likely true. Raising a hand up she placed it on the inside of the pod. _A stasis pod? Why am I-_ In the back of her mind TrueShot felt the slight touch of Soundwave, giving her instructions. _I need to get to the medical room?_

The front of the pod opened with a hiss, the difference in pressure causing a slight breeze; a small cloud of dust flew off of her. : _You better get me caught up with everything later.:_ TrueShot commed Soundwave before he shut off the link.

Placing both hands on the insides of the pod doors she pulled herself out of the small space. Her first step outside of the pod almost sent her falling to the ground as she had not used her legs in some time. A hand flew out to brace herself against a nearby wall. "I really don't have time for this." TrueShot muttered to herself. She remained still for a few moments before trying to walk again. She nearly forgot just who she was as she glanced down at her body, finding her armour smaller; the trio of gladiators had slimmed down on their armour just after war broke out. They found it let them move easier since their opponents were not the psychically strong gladiators that used to fight, but mostly fast and small ones instead. One hand still braced against the wall, TrueShot took a second step. This time, her legs seemed to have returned to their full functionality. "That's what I thought." She praised herself as she removed her hand from the wall.

TrueShot recalled the ship's layout from her processor, searching for the medical bay. Once she had located it she headed out of the room. Before taking the last step out TrueShot glanced back at the berth room she had woken up to. It was bare, save for various sized scratches on the walls and floors, seeming to be from a sword. _Megatron's room it seems._

After several turns through the ship TrueShot came to the medical bay's doors. Through the closed doors and though quite faint, she could hear talking coming from within. Pressing her head against the door she decided to listen in before entering.

"-remain in this deathless slumber forever." TrueShot heard a familiar voice say.

"Our master would not have wanted to be seen in this way," Another, different, voice added. "To stand idly by while he remains captive in his own body. It's not just."

TrueShot clenched her fists. Though her memories in her past life were all but faded away, she could still remember a variety of random things...such as just where she was currently in this world's time line. She could not allow the treacherous seeker to offline her mentor, not before she could get a chance to fix things.

There was a pause, more than likely Soundwave doing or pointing to something inside. "Brain-wave activity, not evidence of consciousness, but merely of an endless dream. From which Megatron may never awake.

"Soundwave we must face reality," Starscream began again. "Megatron is lost to us."

"The only honourable option would be to show him mercy." The other added.

"A simple throw of the switch."

"Quick, painless, compassionate."

Both Starscream and KnockOut's attention turned as the doors to the medical bay slid open. "What makes you so sure that Megatron would have wanted it this way?" TrueShot questioned them as she walked inside to stand beside of Soundwave. "Megatron was once a mighty gladiator in the pits of Kaon. Do you think he would want you to show compassion? Would he rather not prefer to be ended in the field of battle?" Though she stood only just above Starscream and Soundwave, her figure was still intimidating. Her sharp, and somewhat bulkier armour being like Megatron's, still left her a bot not to be taken lightly.

"TrueShot?! How are you here?!" Starscream took a step back and away from the triple-changer. "I saw you drink the poisoned energon, you should be offline!"

TrueShot grinned darkly. "Why do you seemed so surprised Starscream? Is it because you had something to do with that incident?"

"What! No, of course not." He began to fidget, glancing around the room, unwilling to meet her gaze.

"I'm just messing with you," TrueShot let her intimidating facade drop as she waved a hand in the air, dismissing the thought. "Besides, everyone knows it was the Autobots."

"Yes, the Autobots, of course." Starscream gave a small cough into his hand before turning his attention back onto the silent mech. "Soundwave, do I take your silence to mean you concur with KnockOut's medical expertise?"

TrueShot glanced over at the doctor. KnockOut, having just been staring at her, hastily shifted his gaze over to Soundwave. _Oh goodie, he hasn't forgotten about me._

Soundwave remained silent, data charts showing on his visor. Starscream and KnockOut shifted awkwardly as they glanced towards one another. "So long as both of us still stand neither of you will harming Megatron in any shape or form." TrueShot growled, jabbing a talon at Starscream's chest; she made sure to leave a small scratch. KnockOut cringed upon hearing the sharp scrapping noise.

"So you say, but, yet it seems that it is two against one for the moment until Soundwave declares his answer. What will it be? Speak now or forever hold your piece." Sharp talon-like fingers reached over to grasp the main life-support cord that connected to Megatron, just waiting to end it.

TrueShot's hands reached for her swords. "You slimy little-" She growled going to move towards him, but a slim purple arm held out in front of her waist stopped her.

"Going..." Starscream gripped the cord tighter.

Soundwave's other arm lifted up, pointing to the far side of the room. The four turned their attention to what seemed to be a cortical psychic patch connected to the back of Megatron's head and leading into a small compartment under the floor. _How could I forget!_

Starscream's hand left the cord, allowing TrueShot to lower her hands back to her sides, while Soundwave lowered his own arm from in front of her. The seeker traveled around to the back of the medical berth to investigate the cord. Seeing it lead into the small compartment, Starscream glanced over to the other three before around to the other side of the berth where he picked up the cord to follow it. Slowly, he made his way over to where the cord disappeared into the compartment. A faint sound of a blaster starting up could be heard as he knelt down to look into the compartment.

"What in...Intruders!" Starscream readied his arm to fire, but moved out of the way as an energy blast traveled through the air and towards Megatron.

"No!" TrueShot drew a sword as she moved to intercept, but was not successful as the shot hit the main life-support cord and disconnected it. The hole within Megatron's chest could now be seen, causing TrueShot's anger to rise. "Filthy Autobots!" She screamed, turning her attention to the now obvious intruders, a ground-bridge glowing brightly behind the two. "Pieces of scrap!" TrueShot roughly shoved her sword back into her leg as she saw watched the two Autobots disappear into the ground-bridge.

High pitched beeping came from the console as it failed to sense any form of life since the main cord had been disconnected. TrueShot turned around just in time to catch a glance of Starscream's smirk before he put on a fake face of concern for their leader. "It was the inevitable outcome." The seeker stated as he faced Soundwave. The silent mech, mere inches just in front of Starscream, raised a slender arm to point towards the life-support system. "Of course, it would be wrong to allow Megatron to perish by an Autobot's hand."

"Then you had better hook him back up." TrueShot demanded, hands clenching into fists once again. "KnockOut." Said doctor sent a bored glanced over to Starscream, who gave a hesitant nod, before looking back to TrueShot with an anxious look. KnockOut gave a lazy wave as he walked around the medical berth to reconnect the main cord. TrueShot felt much more relaxed as the shrill sounds ceased and the monitor showing Megatron once again as alive.

Soundwave looked around the room at them all before leaving to return to his post. Once the door slid completely closed, TrueShot turned her body around towards the two mechs so sharply and suddenly, that both gave a slight jump in fear. "I don't care if you are Megatron's second in command or currently the acting 'Lord'," TrueShot began to slowly walk towards the two mechs, causing them to back up to try and get away from her. "if I hear that you tried to do something like this again I will personally torture both of you to the point that you will be wishing, no, begging for death. So until such a time that Megatron is able to speak for himself I will act as his proxy; anything that concerns him must be ran by me before you proceed." The two mechs jumped as they suddenly found themselves trapped in a corner with no where else to go. "Do I make myself clear?"

Starscream found himself unable to utter a single word. Thankfully for the two of them, KnockOut managed to get out a "Crystal" in response.

Satisfied, TrueShot left the medical bay, deciding to head to the control room with Soundwave.

Once the doors slid shut after she left, Starscream and KnockOut managed to relax again. "Odd, I don't remember her being that aggressive." Knockout broke the silence as they reluctantly left the corner.

"It seems that with Megatron's life, her mentor, in the balance I cannot say I blame her...much."

"Perhaps. Though I will tell you this, you may want to start looking into other paths to become the sole leader of the Decepticons." KnockOut advised as he looked over the life-support cords, ensuring they were all still intact.

"What?! I thought you were going to aid me in my endeavors? Are you betraying me?"

"We've done nothing for me to betray you. Besides, with that femme up and walking your chances of becoming the one and only lord are now slim to none. And I certainly don't want to be on the receiving end of that aggression."

Starscream growled lowly; yet another obstacle between himself and the metaphorical throne of the Decepticons.

* * *

TrueShot made her way around the twist and turns to the ship as she headed towards her destination. She planned on getting Soundwave to show her the files of what happened since she had been placed into stasis. Though TrueShot did vaguely remember parts of the plot-line, she had no idea what had happened between then and when she was put into stasis.

As she rounded corners, TrueShot passed by a few drones who almost immediately halted in their steps, whispering to each other. She only heard bits and pieces as she traversed through the halls.

"That-that's TrueShot!"

"Didn't she get offlined by Autobots?"

"She drank poisoned energon that was meant for Megatron."

"There was a rumour that she still lived..."

The doors to the command center slid open and the femme entered. Soundwave turned his head only slightly to acknowledge her, before returning to his work. Several of the drones ceased their work as they addressed her, saluting briefly.

"Commander TrueShot, you are still functioning?" One eradicon addressed her.

"I am, as I will remain to do for many years to come." TrueShot continued on her path over to Soundwave, allowing the drones to return to their work.

She accessed the other side of the console, looking for the files on everything that she had missed while in stasis. TrueShot was just going through a list when a file popped up on the screen over the list. A glance over at Soundwave told her that he had pulled up the right file for her. She gave him a silent nod and he returned to his own work.

Trueshot let out a sigh, this was going to take some time as it seemed the files covered what seemed to span nearly a thousand years. A datapad appeared in her line of sight. She followed the hand that held it and along the arm to the body it was attached to. Makeshift stood just behind her, his dark frame showing almost nothing to distinguish who he was, but TrueShot knew. His bulky frame standing just below her own.

"Figured you'd want to catch up over some energon." He knew her so well.

"Sounds like an idea." She took the datapad and loaded the files into it. Makeshift headed out of the room, TrueShot leaving to follow.

"When I got a comm from Soundwave that you were awake I had to see it for myself." Makeshift informed her as they walked down the ships halls. "I know Soundwave's not one to joke, but it just seemed too good to be true. They said with the damage done to your internal systems with the poison it would take your body a while before it healed on its own. No one knew if you would ever come out of stasis."

"I was a gladiator when I was just barely out of my sparkling form, it's going to take more than just poison to take me down."TrueShot reassured him with a smirk on her faceplate.

"So, high-grade or normal?" He questioned.

The femme winced remembering her last time drinking high-grade like it was yesterday, which to her it might as well have been. "Just normal...for today." Her reply came out rough, but Makeshift caught what most would have not.

"Erm, of course...sorry, commander."

"Don't worry about it Makeshift, it wasn't your fault." TrueShot assured him, her tone going softer.

"I just think that I could have done something." The tough mech she had gotten used to being around on Cybertron was melting away before her, showing his caring side. A side that only she was privileged to see. "I was _there_ and all I could do was watch!" Both stopped as Makeshift punched the nearby wall.

"Hey!" Trueshot shouted, placing both of her hands onto his shoulders and roughly turning him around to face her. "I told you it wasn't your fault. I'm alive and well right now and that's all that matters." She hated seeing Makeshift like this, he was like a younger brother to her. _All this pent up rage and guilt, he must have been blaming himself for years._ "Besides," She started as they began to walk again. "I'm your commander, it's my job to look after my unit."

The two reached the would-be cafeteria and took a couple of cubes each. The medium sized room was otherwise empty, the drones being too busy with their rightful master having just reawaken. They found seating in a dark corner, where Makeshift sat in the darkest spot. He was otherwise nearly invisible save for the glow of his red optics. They remained in silence as they sipped on the cubes. TrueShot's face took on a grim expression as her thoughts drifted to the rest of the unit that was once under her command.

"How did the others react after the incident?" TrueShot asked the mech.

"You mean the unit?" She gave a nod as she swallowed down her energon. "Well the crazy fragger that he his, Cyclonus got himself blown into bits by an Autobot ambush."

TrueShot grimaced at the gory fate, but as she knew the mech, it was not all that surprising. Several times before, when they were out in the midst of battle, there were times when the helicopter bot got a hand or foot blown up. There was even an occasion when he got a blade ripped off of his back, but being their commander TrueShot always found a way to put him back together. This time it seemed she had not been there to even try.

"Astrotrain and Blitzwing went off world somewhere with a troop. Haven't heard back from them since."

She missed her unit, her band of crazy bots. There were a few others that would join them from time to time, but they were the core of the group, the oddballs and the crazy ones that no one ever wanted to meet in a dark alley. TrueShot raised her cube, only having a sip left. "To Cyclonus, the crazy mech who went out with a bang." Makeshift followed her lead and raised his cube to hers. "And to Astrotrain and Blitzwing, may our paths cross again in this life or in the well."

"To our insane unit."


	4. Chapter 2

**AN: So real life sucks, depression does too. My problem has always been that I know where I want my stories to go and what I want to happen. It is just getting the right wording that I have the issue with.**

 **AN2: I do not want to give any spoilers away for my story, as I try to let my intentions be known through my writings. However, I will say this. Evil and Good are often depicted as dark and light. The way I see the Decepticons and Autobots is more along the lines of a dark gray and a light gray. With Unicron as the dark, and Primus being the light. It started out as making Cybertron a better place, but things became warped along the way, thus forever ensuing this battle of Decepticons vs Autobots. Yes I am a Decepticon fan, but I know they have done wrong and I will not try to justify their wrongs, or rights.**

 **AN3: TrueShot comes to play in this war as more of a plain gray. While she does have her moments of seemingly (or just plain) bad actions, in the end she just wants what is best for everyone Cybertronian as a whole. She wants everything to come out happy (or as close to it) in the end. That being said, she was thrown in the life of a gladiator at a very young age, trained by Megatron himself. While she may have started out as a light, she has become warped and twisted in trying to fight for her life time and time again. In saving her life in the pits, Megatron has been raised onto a pedestal in her eyes. She knows what he is going to do is bad, but also that he was not completely so. That is why she follows him.**

 **AN4: Being that this is fanfiction, this story is merely my depiction of how I see these characters. I will draw my inspiration for parts of my story from not only Prime, but other series and movies as well, as you will see in this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: The Transformers franchise belongs to Hasboro, I only own my OC TrueShot and the idea for this story even being made.**

* * *

 _The halls of the Kaon capitol building were dark as TrueShot walked through them. Since Kaon was, before the war, already the unofficial Decepticon capitol, it was easy for Megatron to take control of it. Even before the two factions existed, no soft-hearted bot ever dared to enter the city._

 _Her gray form blended into the shadows as the femme continued to her destination. The occasional gleam from the thin golden highlights was the only indication that TrueShot was really there. TrueShot had been overlooking the training of some new recruits when Soundwave had commed for her presence in the command room. After she had excused the recruits for the day she had headed over to the would-be throne room. Of course, she did not refer to it as such around Megatron, but how could she think otherwise. Her mentor would always sit in his usual chair that was centered in the room. The chair that was on a raised platform so Megatron could properly oversee his Decepticons._

 _Occasionally she would pass another Decepticon. Though most would look away from her to avoid meeting her eyes. Her reputation as a gladiator had followed her out of the ring, just as Megatron's own reputation had, just as Soundwave's had. The only difference between the three was that Megatron and Soundwave were both known for being ruthless and fierce. TrueShot on the other hand, was more known for being insane along with fiersome. Of course, then they had Shockwave who was known for his unorthodox scientific practices._

 _The doors to the command room slid open. Inside Megatron was addressing a few bots about some matter or another. Off to the side TrueShot could see another group of bots. Three vaguely familiar bots stood in the shadows, seemingly waiting for their turn as well._

" _Ah, there you are TrueShot." Megatron's voice brought her attention back to him. The previous bots he had been talking to walked passed TrueShot and out of the room. She took a few steps forward to stand just in front of Megatron where he sat at his throne. "How are the recruits and their training coming along?"_

" _There are a few who were previously in the academy, though most of those were dropouts. That being said, they at least have some semblance of training and are coming along nicely. About half of those that were civilians will take some more time. The rest seem to be picking up the training easily." TrueShot reported as she switched her attention from the group._

 _Megatron growled lowly, clearly displeased from the information. "I shall have them split up into two training groups in that case."_

" _Will you have me continue all of their training then?"_

" _No, quite the opposite actually. I am putting you in command of your own unit."_

" _My own unit, sir?" TrueShot glanced over towards the trio of bots. Does he mean…?_

 _Megatron waved one of his hands in the direction of the three bots. "Yes, your own unit. You are a commander. Besides, I can imagine you have been dealing with the recruits for some time." He laughed lowly, knowing how restless TrueShot can get at times._

" _If it'll aid our cause then I would be more than happy." TrueShot roughly hit a fist onto her chest, in a form of a salute._

" _Then allow me to introduce the bots you will be commanding." The trio stepped closer to TrueShot, allowing her to get a better look at them._

" _You three, sound off." TrueShot ordered._

" _I am Astrotrain." The first one introduced himself, his voice a deep rough tone. He was the larger of the three, reaching to a height above even Megatron. The mech's armour was heavily enforced. His frame was mostly gray with his wings being a dark purple colour. Unlike herself, Astrotrain's wings were rounded and mostly pointed out to his side, reminding her of shuttle wings._

" _Blitzwing at zour zervice." A calm voice came next. This one had a thick germanic accent. A sense of familiarity came over her as she took in his appearance. His armour was a beige colour, while his protoform underneath was purple. His wings, hands, and feet were a combination of purple and black. Similar to herself, Blitzwing's wings downwards. The difference being that his were pointed more outwards than hers. Pointed upwards from his back were a pair of canons, that could be seen between his helm and shoulders. His face a light blue, with a blue monocle over one of his optics. His shoulders went up to just below the height of his helm._

 _"Cyclonus reporting for duty ma'am!" The last one saluted. His voice sounded somewhat whiny, yet with an undertone of roughness, i_ _n TrueShot's opinion, but not completely intolerable. His frame colour seemed to be the opposite of Blitzwing's. His protoform was a beige colour while his armour was mostly purple with his face being a dull gray. On his back were four helicopter blades all pointing downwards. Overall his armour was blocky._

 _TrueShot looked over the group once more. All three of these bots were known for being 'off' in some way or another. She had heard about Blitzwing before and his three personalities each with their own faces. Cyclonus she knew to be slightly crazy, just less than Blitzwing. Astrotrain was the least insane out of the three. He was more known to be able to easily take control of situations. "Very well, report to training room seven tomorrow at noon so I can asses your skills. You may be dismissed." TrueShot watched the three as they left the room. Once the doors slid back closed she turned her attention back onto Megatron. "Why those three in particular?"_

 _"I thought that perhaps you would appreciate a change of pace. I had been planning to assign you some bots, I was just waiting to find the right ones."_

 _"None of your other commanders wanted them did they." It was more so a statement than a question. Megatron let out a rough laugh._

 _"Blunt as ever. That is just a factor among many others. Consider it a test. You have prowess on the battlefield, yes. However, your skills in commanding are still a bit...lacking."_

 _TrueShot shrugged her shoulders. "All right, I'll give you that one."_

 _Megatron took a datapad from a nearby counter. "There was one other whom I considered as well, but I decided to leave this one up to you." He handed TrueShot the datapad. "This contains his files. He is still somewhat untrained still."_

 _TrueShot looked through the datapad, a familiar face showing up. Beside of his picture was a list of all the training thus far that he had. "Makeshift? The young mech I happened upon some vorns ago?"_

 _Happened upon would be putting it loosely. She was supposed to be overseeing a troupe's takeover of a section of the city. In other words, watch some Decepticons destroy a bunch of stuff. All she did was slowly amble behind them as they left destruction in their wake. She had followed behind them for some time when she heard something moving in the ruble. For fear of an ambush, TrueShot had drawn her swords as she went to check. What she found was not an ambush, but a young mech, just a bit younger than her. He had been hiding amongst the buildings when the Decepticons destroyed it. The mech she had found that day was Makeshift. He had been living his life on the streets as a thief, with his near pitch black form making it easy for him to hide._

" _The very same."_

" _I'll take him. Any training he needs I'll take care of."_

" _You are certain about this?"_

" _Yes. It would make for a good team. The rest of us large and boisterous cons drawing the attention while he can easily get in behind the scenes. That is the one thing this line-up is missing: subtly."_

" _I look forward to see what your group can do." Megatron spoke after running her words through his head. "You are dismissed."_

 _TrueShot left the throne room, heading back to her own quarters to review all the information on the mechs she would be commanding. She was giddy with nervousness and excitement as this new development. A group of mechs who would answer to her and only her (with the exception of Megatron of course) was something new. But then, it would be her first that she would command. Would there be a chance that she would lead them to their deaths? Or will she rise to the occasion and turn the group of misfits into a single fighting force? Needless to say, the announcement had left TrueShot in a conflicted state._

" _TrueShot-er, Commander TrueShot?" A voice broke her from her reverie._

 _She came to a halt, looking up to find none other than Makeshift in front of her. His dark frame almost blending in with the dimness of the halls. Makeshifts frame lacked the glossiness that most other Cybertronians had, helping him to blend in. He was not an extremely thin mech, but he lacked the bulkiness that most mechs had. He was smaller than TrueShot, coming up to just below her shoulders._

" _Makeshift, is there something you needed?"_

" _I was merely wondering, Commander, about your reassignment. You see, I passed by the triple-changer Blitzwing. He was spouting off something about being under your command now. How it would be refreshing to be under another similar to himself." Makeshift seemed to still be a bit timid, unused to living a military lifestyle._

 _At least it is good to know that one of her soldiers thought somewhat highly of her. "You are asking if I am being assigned to command my own team."_

" _Yes sir. And also, if I may request, that I be put on it as well."_

" _You are highly undertrained, with no prior experience in battle." TrueShot stated. Makeshift's shoulders lowered as he thought she was turning his request down. "That being said, your experiences sneaking around the streets of Kaon stands out to me."_

" _Commander?"_

" _You will report with the rest of the group tomorrow in training room seven at noon. I will also see to it that you receive personal training until I decide you are fit to be on the field."_

" _Thank you sir!"_

 _TrueShot placed a hand onto his shoulder, her face softening up. "Don't worry Makeshift. I won't kick you off the team if you do badly. We'll just have to make sure you can match up to the others in your own way. Now, how about we grab some energon to celebrate?"_

 _Megatron taught her that Decepticons must be ruthless. It is their way of combating the Autobots with their loyalties. Decepticons do not know loyalty, so much as fear and respect for power. But by choosing to save Makeshift that day, TrueShot ended up gaining his loyalty. Even though TrueShot had told Megatron that she saw use in the young mech for the Decepticon cause, as Megatron had seen in her._

 _In her old life TrueShot had grown to favour certain characters of the Transformers franchise. She would cry when watching their deaths and even rejoice when they would conquer their enemies._

 _Though his time in the series was short, she had grown to like Makeshift. He was unique to other Decepticons that were shown. That day she had barely recognized him, being so much younger. Not to mention his true form was not really ever shown. But something drew TrueShot to that building. Call it Primus or her curiosity. She was glad she went. Makeshift had become a brother to her. Even though TrueShot's memories of her old life were slowly fading, she saved the thought as a note: Makeshift would not die._


	5. Chapter 3

**AN: My roomie and I just posted our first collaboration fic on our respected sites (FFN and A03). It is a humanized business AU TFP. If you are interested feel free to take a look and let us know what you think.**

 **I had part of this chapter written a few months ago, then decided to change up some of it when I went to finish the rest of it. Hopefully it reads as smoothly for everyone else as it does for me...and hopefully it is not the alcohol filled truffles talking to me.**

 **One last note before the story...TrueShot was a slight socio/psychopath when she was human, why else would she fight for her life for her wallet and not the money inside of it? I try to drop hints, but I am just going to go ahead and say it. She is fucking crazy. She tries to hide it and sometimes she is able to. That is all.**

* * *

"-and thus we are going to steal the human's lens to melt through the ice and take all the energon for ourselves."

TrueShot stared blankly at the self-proclaimed lord of the decepticons. Breakdown, Knockout, and herself had all been summoned to the bridge. No doubt to be sent out to do some task that would ultimately blow up later in Starscream's face. TrueShot had vague memories of Starscream being one of her favourite characters in her past life, but here, he tended to just be so frustratingly annoying at times.

"I will need you, TrueShot, to take a squad of drones to retrieve this lens." Starscream turned around, facing the computer screen where the lens was displayed from a satellite view.

"No."

"Retr-what?!" Starscream spun around in a haste. Stunned as he was not expecting her to deny his command. Knockout eyed the two, intrigued and awaiting the possible fight.

"Send the drones on their own, they'll be fine." Trueshot continued.

"Any particular reason why you are refusing to go then?" Starscream's optics were narrowed at the taller femme.

"It's a small task, so why should I go? The drones can handle the humans just fine. Plus, I refer to remain in the background. You know, a 'trump card' as the humans put it." TrueShot shrugged as she responded. Truthfully, she just did not want to listen to Starscream.

The seeker growled in frustration. "Very well then, you there!" Starscream pointed towards a trio of drones. "Go retrieve the lens for me!"

"Yes sir!" The drones responded immediately before running off to be ground bridged down.

"If that's all you wanted I'll be leaving now." Starscream choked as he tried to make a jab at TrueShot as she left the bridge, but found himself at a loss for words.

While Starscream and KnockOut where up top about to cause global flooding, TrueShot decided to do rounds through the halls of the ship. She did not go too far before hearing the sound of blaster fire. Switching into a jog, TrueShot made her way to the source of the sounds. Before her hid several drones firing around the corner of the hall.

"What is going on in here?" She questioned the bots.

"It is one of the Autobots Commander, the scout. He has somehow found his way onto the ship." The nearest one reported.

"Bumblebee? Allow me to handle him." She drew both of her swords. "Return to your posts."

"Commander?"

"He is just a scout." TrueShot reassured them. The drones glanced around to each other before heading down an opposite hallway.

She rounded the corner and was immediately fired upon. TrueShot managed to dodge a few shots, while deflecting the others as she got closer to the scout. She swung a sword at him, causing Bumblebee to stop firing and go to dodge. A glint out of the corner of her optics drew her attention to Bumblebee's hand that was at his side. A shard of dark energon was grasped firmly in the scout's hand.

"Megatron hasn't showed any signs of activity in his mind since you linked with him." TrueShot spoke cautiously, testing the bot. She held one of her swords out, pointing straight at his spark chamber. "And that stance is one I'm very familiar with."

Slowly, the bot lowered his blaster arm, deactivating it. With his blaster arm, the scout tapped his chest, then held out the shard of dark energon.

"I've seen the archives, Megatron injected one of those into his spark chamber, yet his body was brought in missing the shard." TrueShot lowered her swords before putting them away. "Could it be that Megatron's conscious has entered your own processor then, scout?"

Bumblebee slowly nodded his head in response as the femme watched his every movement.. TrueShot gave a pause as she listened in to the chatter over her commlink. "We have to hurry before the drones return." The scout gave another nod before following the triple-changer to the medical bay. They were forced to stop only a couple times as drones were doing patrol down nearby hallways; TrueShot ordered them elsewhere. Finally, the two reached the medical bay where Megatron's body lay on the berth.

She gathered the nearby cortical psychic patch, still laying out from when the Autobots had used it. Connecting one end to Megatron, she handed the other to the scout. Once one of the ends was secured on, the bot turned his attention to the screen, about to start the procedure.

A series of quick steps brought their attention away from the monitor as they found the Autobot medic, Ratchet, running towards Bumblebee, ready to attack. TrueShot easily intercepted the two as she grabbed onto the fist that would have hit the scout.

"Sorry doc," She gave his fist a tight squeeze, causing Ratchet to grimace in pain. "but honestly, I think this would be in the better for your scout." With a strong twist, TrueShot threw Ratchet's body across the room, where he hit the wall and fell to the floor. "Do what you gotta' do." She advised the scout before slowly making her way over to Ratchet, making sure he would stay down for the time being. The yellow bot took out the shard and was about to plunge it into Megatron's chest.

"Bumblebee, no!"

TrueShot had just placed a heavy foot on top of the doctor when the small boy ran out from his hiding spot. The scout's attention was drawn away from the form on the berth as he looked down to the boy.

"Remember who you are! Remember me!" The boy tried to reason with the scout. "I know you always listen to me, no matter what."

"He may be listening kid, but that doesn't mean he can actually respond." TrueShot told him as she pressed her foot down on the medic harder. Unable to properly respond, the scout replied in a series of beeping sounds and buzzing. However, the kid seemed to get through to the scout, allowing him to just barely regain control.

"That's right 'Bee, it's me." The boy smiled as it seemed the scout had taken control back from Megatron. Suddenly, the bot began to make several quick sounds as he placed a hand onto his head, both fighting for total control. The scout began to stumble about, before falling to his knees, catching himself before he squashed the boy. Worried for the scout, the boy had gotten closer, placing his hands onto the scouts arm.

"Frag it all!" TrueShot muttered under her breath. Taking one of her swords she used it to impale one of Ratchet's servos to the floor. The medic shouted in pain, but was ignored as TrueShot swiftly made her way over to Bumblebee and Rafael. While their attention was drawn to each other, TrueShot swiftly took the shard of dark energon from the scout's servo.

"No! You can't!" Ratchet shouted to her, still trying to remove the sword that was going through his hand. All Bumblebee could do at that point was watch, as he was still fighting to control his body.

TrueShot removed the main life support cord before immediately shoving the shard into the large wound now showing. There was a brief, bright light as the body absorbed the shard and began to shake. "I'll see you soon, sir." With one last glance towards TrueShot, the scout began to stumble backwards and away from the berth; Megatron had left the scout's mind. The femme removed her sword from the medic's hand and placed it back into it's holder. Bumblebee and Rafael quickly ran over to the wounded Ratchet, the scout helping him up.

TrueShot returned to the medical berth where she stood proudly beside of her mentor as he awoke and stood up. In front of them, the two Autobots and their human had begun to back up in fear, from the warlord, as he moved towards them. By now the nearby drones, upon hearing the fighting, had run to investigate. Only they stopped short of the entrance as they gave witness to their lord rising up from the berth.

"Decepticons," Megatron began, with clenched fists. "Your rightful lord and master has returned." He announced through his commlink. He began to make his way out of the medical bay, halting just slightly to glance at the trio of intruders.

"Finish these pests." Megatron ordered the nearby drones before continuing onwards. "TrueShot, with me. I have my own extermination to perform." The drones quickly parted, allowing the two to pass through. Immediately as they left the room, blasters could be heard charging up and firing.

"You realize there is a high chance that those Autobots will escape." TrueShot pointed out as they made their way down the halls.

"Most likely, however, they are not my primary concern for the time being. How long have you been out of stasis?"

TrueShot was caught off-guard by the tone in his voice; the slight concern from him that she has not heard since the very beginnings of the war.

"A day or two. Soundwave awakened me when he saw that certain _events_ may occur." She did not want to put the blame completely on Starscream and his plan to pull Megatron off of life-support in order to take over the Decepticons. No, TrueShot wanted a chance to fix things, to change what would be-would have been-the ultimate outcome. "When were you planning on awakening me, if I might ask?"

Megatron remained silent for a few moments, TrueShot began to fear that she had asked a wrong question. "I was hoping not to have to awaken you at all, at least until the end of the war. Since you seem to be so quick to throw your life away for mine." There it was again, that slight change of tone in his voice that she had not heard in so long; he was teasing her.

"You are my mentor and my lord, I would gladly lay my life down for yours. Besides, the energon incident was a complete one-in-one-hundred. With me being so young at the time and so eager to try some high-grade...well I basically saved the whole group of us. Pure luck." TrueShot explained, becoming slightly flustered.

Upon reaching the doors leading onto the outside deck, the ship gave a shake as something outside exploded. TrueShot braced herself but was too far from the walls. She felt a large hand on her back just before she fell back. TrueShot looked up towards the larger mech as he lowered his hand. "Thank you, sir." He gave a nod before they continued on to the outside deck.

Seeing that Starscream was no where to be found, Megatron quickly transformed and flew off towards the ground below. TrueShot walked over to the end of the deck, where the would be heat-ray had been destroyed and was now smoking. Hearing coughing under the debris, she lifted it off with ease, to find KnockOut underneath, covered in ash.

"Your paint job is gonna' need some work." She pointed out bluntly, lowering a hand to help him up. He was very hesitant upon seeing the intimidating femme standing above him, but took her hand nonetheless.

"Why does everything Starscream does seem to blow up in his face." KnockOut growled as he looked himself over. "Literally."

"I'd suggest getting inside, else you might see something that'll make you cringe." TrueShot advised the medic. "You," She directed the nearby drone. "Get some bots out here to clean this up if you would."

"Of course commander." The drone ran off into the ship to get supplies.

"And you," TrueShot turned her attention back to KnockOut. "If you are aware of all that seekers habits of having plans fail so miserably, I'd advise you not to listen to them from now on." She softened her gaze. "Besides, I'd hate to see that beautiful finish of yours with any further damage." _And I'm still just as shitty a flirt as ever..._ She groaned in her mind. TrueShot headed back inside, stopping a few feet when she noticed KnockOut was not following. "If you hurry up we'll have time to fix your paint job before you're needed to fix whatever damage Megatron does to Starscream." She gestured over to where Megatron had, not so gently, landed with Starscream.

"Uhh, right." The mech jogged over to catch up to the triple-changer. Just as they entered the doorway back inside, a group of drones ran outside to deal with the flaming mess that was Starscream's heat-ray. "You are a confusing femme, I hope you are aware."

"Oh yes, quite."

"Though it is good to see that you have not lost that charm you had when we first met."

"Lost it? Never, merely hid it so I could survive the horrors of war." TrueShot sent a grim smirk down to the mech walking beside her.

"Right." Knockout gave a nervous laugh as they entered the medical room.


	6. Chapter 4 Pt 1

**AN: Yeah...I'm not dead.**

* * *

There was nothing better than feeling the wind under your wings. After being in stasis for so long that was all TrueShot wanted. She feared going while Megatron lay on the medical berth, helpless to Starscream should the seeker make another attempt on his life. Now, however, that Megatron was up and well again, TrueShot felt she had an opportunity to go flying.

The femme had just left the interior of the ship to head out onto the flight deck. Mere seconds from transforming and flying away, Megatron commed her. _:Going for a flight?:_ TrueShot was somewhat caught off-guard by the sudden message.

 _:I haven't gotten a chance to since I was woken.:_

 _:I am surprised you waited this long then.:_

 _:With the threat of you possibly offlining I didn't want to leave your side.:_

 _:A loyal warrior as ever. Have you been to Knockout for a check up on your systems yet?:_

TrueShot groaned silently, her shoulders lowering. _:I have sir, though I haven't asked for the results as of yet.:_

 _:I would suggest seeing Knockout for them then before you go about flying.:_

 _:Yes, sir.:_

The femme let out a large sigh before turning and going back into the interior of the ship.

Begrudgingly, she left the flight deck and headed to the medical room. To be honest TrueShot felt just fine. She was nowhere near in the pain that she had been in that day. Then again, immense pain like that is to be expected when you drink toxic energon.

"-physician. Now get out of my way!" Starscream could be heard growling as TrueShot came around the corner. The seeker, obviously not fully recovered, could be seen limping down the hallway. Knockout remained standing still, a datapad in one hand and a somewhat offended look on his face.

TrueShot came to stand beside the mech, eyes wide with amusement. "He seems upset." She mused. Not having heard her Knockout jumped slightly within his frame. TrueShot smirked mischievously as the mech turned to face her.

"Ah, TrueShot, how-how long have you been standing there?" Knockout questioned sheepishly as he immediately regained his composure.

"A few moments. I came to inquire about my test results; my wings are itching for a flight."

He brought the data pad in his hand up. "Right, I was just going over the results actually."

"Well then doctor, am I cleared for flying?"

Knockout seemed hesitant at first, though she was not sure why. He continued to stare down at the screen for a few moments before turning his attention to the femme. "For the most part you seem to fine."

"But..." TrueShot could hear the slight doubtful tone in his voice. She started to worry.

"It is nothing severe, you should be more than fighting fit." Knockout finished.

The femme immediately perked up. "Oh good. In that case," She turned to leave. "I'm going for a flight." With a wave of her hand TrueShot was soon out of sight as she headed to the flight deck once again.

Just as she exited the interior of the ship and entered into the deck, TrueShot saw a glance of Starscream as he flew off. _Suspicious mech_. She decided to follow the seeker, staying far enough behind so he would not sense her.

* * *

Knockout watched the femme all but run down the hall from which she had come from. Once she was out of sight, he glanced back down to the datapad in his hand. Quickly deciding Knockout headed towards the bridge.

"Knockout, what brings you to the bridge?" Megatron questioned the medic upon seeing him enter. On the main screen behind the warlord Knockout could see a distant TrueShot in flight behind an even more distant Starscream.

"I wish to share with you the results of TrueShot's medical exam. If you are available that is."

Megatron shared a glance with Soundwave and then back to the screen before he continued. "What did you find Knockout?"

The grounder looked down at the datapad in his hand. "Physically speaking she seems to have made a near full recovery from her incident. However, I did notice an abnormality of sorts. Particularly in her memory banks."

"Triple-changers have been known to have abnormalities. Are you certain that is not the case?"

One triple-changer in particular came to mind. Blitzwing and his three different personalities were incredibly obnoxious in the times that Megatron had to deal with him. The leader often wondered just how the femme could constantly deal with the insane mech.

"I did come to that possibility, but I do not think that is the case at this time. TrueShot has two separate memory banks you see. One that is completely normal and another that seems as if it has been heavily degraded by time. The most peculiar thing about this other memory bank is that it cannot be accessed by any means except by TrueShot herself."

Megatron stood in thought. Over the many vorns he had known TrueShot he could recall many a time when she did unusual things. Even in the terms of triple-changers they seemed unusual. Mostly it was the terms she would use. Calling servos hands, processors minds, and others. Was the memory bank implanted there after her creation or did she come into this world with it?

"You may be dismissed Knockout, and I thank you for this information."

* * *

After sometime TrueShot started to recognize the direction they were heading. Or rather, the direction Starscream was heading. She was merely stalking him from behind. According to the database, it was towards the valley where Skyquake was defeated by Prime and his scout.

The femme hung back, landing on top of the canyon, while Starscream landed within. Kneeling, TrueShot watched from above as Starscream retrieved a shard of dark energon from his subspace before….wait, was he, was he monologuing? Barely holding back her laughter she watched the scene unfold before her. Not that she was too surprised. From the few memories she had left of her past life, TrueShot could almost recall seeing similar scenes that looked like faded, old black and white movies. Why they would come to her in that format she was not sure of.

"I wonder where you got that dark energon shard…" TrueShot muttered to herself with a sly smile. She had her theories, since she could not completely remember, and she was almost sure that they were right.

TrueShot watched on as Starscream brought the shard up into his hands and broke it into halves. He threw one part into the rubble where Skyquake's sparkless body remained, before shoving the other into his own spark.

"That dumbass did not just do that."

A beam of purple light shone from within the rocks briefly before disappearing. Meanwhile, Starscream's body became engulfed in a purple fire. Seconds later, the fire seemed to surge from his body and into the ground causing the cracks to light up with purple energy.

"Okay, time to put an end to this." TrueShot rose up from her kneeling position and jumped down from her perch. Upon hearing the impact behind him, Starscream quickly turned to face the intruder.

"Who dares to interrupt me, Commander Stars-" The seeker yelped in surprise at finding the triple-changer standing right behind him.

Resting her hands on the sides of her hips in a power stance, TrueShot sent Starscream a glare. "Just what do you think you're doing messing with dark energon?!"

Starscream's now purple optics returned her glare. "Why are you here? Did you follow me?" His questions coming out as near growls.

"Well yeah. I mean, not at first no. I was going out for a flight and decided to join you. And by join you I mean stalk." TrueShot admitted as she shrugged her shoulders. The seeker grit his denta at her confession. "That's not the point anyways. You shouldn't mess with dark energon. Give me the shards now and I won't tell Megatron."

Starscream opened his mouth to reply but was cut off. The mound of rubble behind him began to shake and glow. Ignoring the presence of the triple-changer, Starscream turned towards the makeshift grave. "Yes! It is working. Rise Skyquake, rise!"

"Starscream." The voice of Prime could be heard from behind them.

Both Decepticons turned to face the newcomers. "Autobots." Starscream growled. TrueShot's hands quickly went to the hilts of her swords.

"Stand down, both of you." Optimus continued as he aimed his blaster towards them.

"You stand down." The seeker retorted raising his own ready to launch rocket arm to aim the the Autobots.

"And now you've gotten us unwanted attention." TrueShot groaned while she gripped her sword handles. She received no vocal response, but instead watched as Starscream shot off a missile towards the quartet of bots. His missile missed as the group ducked behind some nearby rocks.

"You cannot harm me while dark energon flows through my veins!"

TrueShot could just feel it. Starscream was setting himself up to fail again. She trained her eyes on the rocks that hid the Autobots, watching for any signs of retaliation. Starscream may be going down with this ship, but she sure wasn't. From behind a rock the Prime rose and took a shot at the seeker, hitting his arm. The blast so strong it caused his whole body to turn with the impact.

There was a slight pause as the seeker stood stunned. TrueShot could not stop the laugh that came from her mouth at the the irony of the situation. Yep, there it was. Starscream had once again set himself up to fail. She let out a few more laughs as Starscream glanced to his arm, that had landed several feet away, to his stub. "Silence you!" He shouted at her before taking off in a sprint towards safety, grabbing his arm along the way.

The triple-changer looked back at the Prime with his gun still at the ready, then at the retreating seeker. "Shit!" TrueShot muttered under her breath as she ran to join him behind the rocks. She ducked down, her back hitting the rocks with force. "You know, maybe I will tell Megatron about this. I just waxed my frame and everything. So if you make me get a scratch-"

"Will you shut up already!" Starscream watched the still glowing rubble in confusion. "Why is Skyquake not rising?"

They could hear the Autobots now running towards them, taking advantage of Starscream's injury. "And now they're charging at us."

The seeker sent a glare towards her. "You are not helping! This is Commander Starscream requesting an emergency ground bridge to my coordinates."

TrueShot activated her long-range blaster before peeking out of their hiding spot. She took a few shots at the charging Autobots, hoping to slow them down while Starscream commed for help. She was most certainly not going down with his ship. The Autobots dodged the shots and dove behind more rocks for cover.

"I thought you were supposed to be an excellent marksman."

"You really have no room for talk you weasel. Besides, I'm better at a longer range when my targets have no idea I'm there." She shot back at the now handicapped seeker.

The bots attention was suddenly drawn from them and to something else. TrueShot mentally sighed in relief. She really hoped that she did not have to kill the bots. No, she had plans in store for them later. Her attention was suddenly drawn away as two ground bridge portals opened up before them. One just beside her and the seeker and the other behind the bots. Both groups glanced from one portal to another, unsure which was which.

While the bots were busy, Starscream took a running start and dove into the portal nearest him. TrueShot inwardly cursed the seeker for leaving her behind and took off into a sprint behind him. "Damn you weasel!" She shouted at him as she jumped into the portal. Just as she reached the halfway point the green and blue swirls around her began to distort and close in, shutting her off from the Decepticon warship. TrueShot covered her optics as the lights grew bright before there was an explosion, sending her backwards.

With a groan TrueShot lifted herself up. Just imagining all the scratches on her freshly waxed frame was giving her a headache. She tried to take in her surroundings but could not see much as there was dust covering her vision from the explosion. As the dust cleared the femme saw that she was still in the canyon...with the Autobots.


	7. Chapter 4 Pt 2

**AN: Beep Boop**

* * *

"TrueShot to _Nemesis_ , I'm up against the Autobots and needing backup. _Nemesis_ do you copy?"

There was no response. Nothing but static returned as her answer. Her only choices now were to either fight them or run. TrueShot knew if she fought them both them and her would end up with some serious injuries. She did not want to hurt them. Not when they would be needed. Not when both Earth and Cybertron needed the Autobots. TrueShot let out a low growl as she transformed into her jet mode. There was a whirring sound as her joints tried to twist and form into the shape of a Cybertronian jet."What the hell…" She remained standing in her bipedal mode.

With a glance towards the Autobots the femme grimaced. She would have to confront the Autobots and force them to allow her use of their ground bridge.

"Why does everything look so dull?" TrueShot muttered to herself, walking over to the group. They did not seem to notice her as she made her way over. As TrueShot made her way over, her foot kicked something in her path. A look to the ground told her she had discovered Starscream's arm. The fool must have lost hold of it in his rush to escape. Quickly throwing it into one of her subspaces, she continued on.

She drew her swords just in case. "Listen here you bots, whatever you just did-" Her optics widened as Optimus seemed to walk right through her, not noticing her at all. What had that explosion done? TrueShot's attention was drawn away by what seemed to be a mix of a wail and a scream coming from below Bulkhead's feet.

There stood three humans, the Autobot's pets as they were referred to on the warship.

"You three, can you hear me?"

The taller one quickly ushered the other two behind him as he acted as a shield.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Though it's a pleasant thought that I'm not alone in this warped reality."

They watched as the Autobots began to walk off, trying to figure out where their humans had gone. TrueShot listened in as she wanted to know herself just what had happened.

"Well good news is that Starscream didn't get teleported to your base." She pointed out trying to lighten up the humans.

The three looked up at the triple-changer before them. They were on edge and slightly confused as to why a Decepticon was acting so casual to them. Rafael, who was the only one to see her in action thus far was incredibly weary of her. TrueShot let out a sigh as she lowered herself to the ground, sitting down with her legs crossed in an 'indian style' and her head resting on one of her hands.

"So, how's life?"

"Why are you being so chill right now?" The girl, Miko, asked as she glared up at TrueShot.

The femme shrugged. "I don't harm kids. Plus you're kinda defenceless right now. It wouldn't be very honorous of me."

"Since when does a 'con care about honor?" Rafael spoke up bravely.

"Are you still mad about what happened on the ship? 'Cause that was in the middle of battle, and this," She gestured around to the dullness of the canyon. "is not. Well, not exactly. But in any case, if you haven't noticed there are a few 'cons who still play by those rules. Megatron is close to the edge, like dangling off of it, but it's there."

Why was she acting so calm? TrueShot was not so sure herself. The part about the honor thing was true. TrueShot did not hurt kids. That is why Makeshift is with them today. Part of her thought that maybe her old self was trying to come into the light now that she was around humans again.

"Hey, where are the bots going?" Miko looked around TrueShot and at the Autobots who were now going to investigate Skyquake's tomb. The kids bolted off after them, not wanting to be left with the Decepticon who was acting weird to them. TrueShot groaned as she lifted herself up off of the ground and decided to follow the kids.

The humans halted as Rafael came to a realization upon hearing Ratchet's theory on what had happened. "Another place but in the same place…" The youngest on thought aloud.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Jack questioned him.

"We're probably in a different dimension. Some kind of alternate reality. A shadow zone."

"What! That sounds crazy." Miko gave Rafael a questioning look.

TrueShot grunted, catching their attention. "Trust me kid, I've seen crazier happen."

The Autobots had finished examining Skyquake's tomb, finding it empty. TrueShot heard Optimus call for a ground bridge. She looked down as the kids dejectedly watched their metal friends leave them in the canyon. Alone with a Decepticon. Their sadness did not last long as a metallic screeching sound brought their attention to a large rock behind them.

"Uh oh." The femme's hands once again went to her swords as a rusted and busted up looking Skyquake rose up from behind the rock. Luckily, he seemed to ignore the shadow zoned group to the side and went straight for the Autobots who were heading into a newly opened ground bridge portal.

The kids watched in terror as the newly awoken bot headed towards Prime and his group. "Zombie!" Miko shouted as the three of them went running to warn the bots.

"Guys lookout!"

"Bulkhead!"

"It's right behind you!"

It was in vain as the zombiecon continued on while the bots remained unaware.

"They can't see him…"TrueShot realized. "They don't see him! Kids wait!"

Skyquake raised his talons to strike at Bulkhead, halting in surprise as his hand went right through. Undeterred the Autobots continued through the ground bridge before it closed up behind them.

"Awesome, it can't touch them either." Miko cheered.

The kids jumped suddenly as the sound of swords being drawn could be heard from behind them. Turning around, they looked up in fear of the Decepticon before them with both of her swords held tight in her hands. "Get behind me."

The humans glanced at each other, unsure of if they should follow her orders or not.

"Now!"

That got them running as they went to stand behind her foot, just in time for Skyquake to notice them.

"If that thing can't touch the bots…"Jack began to say.

"Just like we can't…" MIko continued.

"Then we're trapped in the shadow zone with a Decepticon zombie!" Rafael finished fearfully.

"That thing is going to tear us apart!" Miko screeched. For all her wanting to see zombiecons, she was now regretting all of it.

TrueShot slid into her battle stance. "Not if I can help it. Take cover!" She charged at the zombie, her swords easily deflecting his talons. A glance at the kids let TrueShot know she was free to go all out as they had ran to hide behind some rocks.

Skyquake let out a menacing roar. No longer the mech he used to be, he was nothing more than a wild animal with rabies that needed to be put down. And TrueShot was going to be the one to do it.

"When I get out of this," TrueShot grunted as she deflected his claws again. "Starscream is going to be in so much trouble."

The empty husk of Skyquake charged at her again, arms outstretched to grab at her. TrueShot used the flat edges of her swords to slide his arms outwards and to her sides. Then, she struck downward with her swords and through his arms at the shoulders. Skyquake stumbled back at the blow.

"Watch out!"

"His arms!"

The kids warned her from behind. TrueShot glanced downwards to where Skyquake's arms had fallen. The appendages had jumped up onto the fingertips to crawl towards her.

"Are you kidding me?! I hate these kinds of zombies!"

She twisted the swords around in her hands to where they were facing downwards. Swiftly TrueShot thrust her swords through the tops of the hands, pinning them to the ground. Skyquake let out a loud roar before charging at her in an attempt to headbutt her. TrueShot returned the roar and pulled her claws out. Her body went into a low stance to dodge his attack while her claws shot into his chest. WIth a jerk of her arm TrueShot pulled out Skyquake's spark chamber. The glowing purple of the dark energon shard was the only thing within. TrueShot pulled the shard out with her other hand before discarding the chamber aside. Skyquake's body fell, without the aid of the shard his body had nothing left powering it.

The sight of so much energon and the method of the kill almost sent TrueShot back to her time in the pits. To her first kill as a gladiator. Blinking her optics a couple of times, she was able to remain in the present, pushing back the feral-like instincts to rip something apart.

The broken shard ceased its glowing and now appeared only as a dull purple gem. Whether or not it would work again to raise a dead cybertronian she was not sure. Staring at the shard TrueShot did think it felt empty in a way. Regardless, she would keep it just in case.

"That was so cool!" Miko's overly excited voice brought TrueShot out of her thoughts.

Turning around TrueShot found the kids had run out from behind their shelter to stand just below her.

"Thanks?" The triple-changer tucked the shard into a subspace on her hip. She then removed her swords that were still keeping a pair of arms impaled to the ground.

Not knowing her intentions, the kids backed up in fear. The femme gave them a gentle smile and swiftly sheathed her twin swords. Her arms went up to show she meant them no harm. "I told you, I don't harm kids."

The kids glanced around at one another. An unsaid question of whether or not they should trust her or not showing on their faces. Their shoulders could be seen slowly relaxing along with the rest of their bodies. The kids were somewhat mind boggled. They had heard bits and pieces from the Autobots about how ruthless she was, being that Megatron had trained her from a young age. This behaviour was nothing like they had seen from the other Decepticons.

Rafael was the most weary out of the trio. He had been the one to witness her fight against Ratchet firsthand. What he saw that day on the ship was a being just as fierce and terrifying as Megatron. But what he saw now before him was someone different. The TrueShot before him now seemed to have a much calmer and friendlier air about her.

"Man I wish I had my phone with me to take some pics of you fighting that zombiecon!" Miko was the one to break the ice between them with her overzealous personality. "The way you threw down was so brutal!" The young girl pumped a fist into the air in excitement.

"Miko that's it." Rafael's head rose as an idea came to his mind.

"Wait, what'd I do?" Miko cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"If Miko dropped her phone back at base then maybe the bots found it and we can send a message to them through Miko's phone." The younger boy explained.

"But if she," Jack motioned towards TrueShot. "can't get a hold of anyone how are we supposed to?"

"Our commlinks are on a different frequency than your phones." The con answered with a shrug.

The kids glanced around at one another. They watched Jack as he brought out his own phone and tried to call Miko's. Both the human kids and the larger Cybertronian waited in anticipation as Jack held the phone to his head, listening as it continued to ring. Eventually, his call was sent to voice mail before he hung up and began to redial.

After a few more unsuccessful attempts Miko started to get impatient. With a yell the girl stomped off a few feet away, kicking any small rocks she saw. "Try sending a text message." Rafael suggested.

The kids crowded around as Jack began to type his message. TrueShot knelt down, joining in on the circle. "And….sent. Hopefully they've found your phone after we tried to call it and they'll notice the message."

"Hopefully…" Miko rubbed at her arm as she stared at the ground and the many pieces Skyquake was in. "This place is starting to creep me out."

TrueShot noticed where the kids' gazes were slowly turning. "I can move all of that if it's making you kids uncomfortable." She suggested, trying to keep up a conversation going.

"No...it's fine." Rafael was not very convincing. Instead, TrueShot decided to sit down between the kids and Skyquake's remains.

"There. Out of sight, out of mind." The three humans shared a concerned glance between themselves before they all looked back up to TrueShot. "What? Do I have some energon on my face or something?"

"N-no, it's just…" Jack began to say before Miko cut him off.

"We've never sat and had a chat with a Decepticon before."

"Especially after I saw what you did to Ratchet. So why are you being nice to us?"

TrueShot shrugged before she glanced up towards the dull looking sky. She had gone out today wanting nothing more than to soar through the clouds. Now she was stuck, grounded, and unable to even transform. "Everyone gets tired of fighting every now and then. Even battle-hardened gladiators like me, or even Megatron believe it or not." She watched as a bird flew over the canyon walls. TrueShot turned her attention back on the kids. "The fighting will end one day, and when that day comes we're all going to have to make peace with each other to learn to live again. Decepticons and Autobots. That, and you three remind me of myself when I was….'younger'"

There was a short silence, but was broken as Miko spoke up. "That was deep."

"I get those once every few centuries." The con joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Luckily for her the moment was ended by Starscream suddenly appearing from behind them.

"Skyquake, your master summons you!"

The kids looked around the side of TrueShot to see Starscream walking towards them. TrueShot turned her head to stare at the seeker. "And look who comes crawling back." The femme stood up and faced Starscream.

"He can't see us, right?" Rafael timidly asked.

"Na, or he'd be quaking in his heels when he saw me. Too bad he's gonna be real disappointed to find out I destroyed his 'minion'."

Suddenly, a ground bridge opened up, blocking their view of the seeker.

"A ground bridge portal?" Rafael questioned, glancing towards the other two humans.

"That means the Autobots saw our text!" Miko was jumping around excitedly.

"Allow me to go first then." TrueShot slowly walked towards the portal. She glanced down as she passed by Skyquake's body. "Hey kids, wanna see something funny?"

The three of them looked back and forth between each other, trying to figure out what the con was planning. "Sure?" Jack was the one to finally answer.

"Watch this." The femme grabbed a hold of one of Skyquake's destroyed hands and continued on into the portal. Running to catch up to her, the humans then followed her through.

"Zombie hand!" TrueShot shouted, throwing the hand at Starscream's face.

The seeker let out a shrill scream before falling backwards while trying to catch the hand. TrueShot started laughing at the sight before her.

The kids took the moment of distraction to run out of the portal and behind some rocks before Starscream spotted them. "Okay, I'll admit, that was a bit funny." Miko told the other two once they were in a safe spot.

TrueShot watched as the kids started running once again, but to another bridge that had just opened up. Optimus, Bulkhead, and Ratchet walked out to meet the humans.

Starscream finally finished wrestling with the destroyed hand and tossed it to the side. "Stop laughing!" He ordered the femme.

"We have a bigger issue than your 'moment' to worry about." TrueShot motioned towards the Autobots.

"What! Autobots! Requesting an emergency ground bridge now!"

"Belay that!" TrueShot grabbed ahold of Starscream's one arm, pulling her in the opposite direction as the Autobots. "We're flying back."

Starscream growled as he reluctantly transformed and flew off, albeit, a bit wobbly due to his lack of an arm. TrueShot laughed as she watched him fly off first. She sent a quick glance back towards the kids, giving them a nod before transforming and following behind Starscream.

* * *

Safely back at the Autobots base, the kids settled down on the couches. Having just described what had happened in the other reality to the Autobots, the kids were hoping to get some downtime now. The bots had left them in peace, as they had gone off somewhere to discuss a few things. Namely THE discovery of the alternate reality as well as the over friendliness of a Decepticon they knew to be ruthless.

Suddenly, Miko's phone began to go off with a text message alert.

"Woah!" The boys turned quickly at the girls excitement. "Guys, check it out!" Jack and Rafael joined Miko as she proudly held up her phone. On the screen were pictures. Specifically, pictures of a zombified Skyquake.

"Wait, are those from-"

"You bet ya!" Miko proudly exclaimed, cutting off Jack. "'Though you might want these.'" She read.

The boys shared a concerned glance, but decided to let Miko have her moment.

* * *

After some extra flying to attempt to regain her composure, TrueShot returned to the _Nemesis_. By her estimations it had probably been a few hours since Starscream had returned. Making her way to the medic ward, the femme took out the detached arm of Starscream.

"You forgot something, _Commander_." TrueShot carelessly tossed the arm onto the floor, where it slid a good bit before stopping right below KnockOut's operating table.

"Ah, there you go Starscream. It seems our dear TrueShot has brought it back for you." KnockOut lightly jeered at the now growling seeker.

TrueShot rolled her optics as she turned around to leave. "You're welcome!"

* * *

 **A lil' fact for ya'll: I do intend for this story to continue on into Robots in Disguise (2015)**


	8. Chapter 5

**AN: Noot noot. Not dead. Noot noot.**

* * *

A special mission. For Makeshift that is. Though it was Starscream's idea, Megatron reluctantly obliged. Considering that for once the idea was actually a good one. The seeker did have those every now and then.

TrueShot had gotten word of the mission through the commlinks. Apparently Soundwave had discovered that a new Autobot was on their way down to Earth.

Luckily, she was able to catch him on his way to the bridge. "Makeshift!" TrueShot called out to him.

The mech stopped upon hearing his name. "TrueShot, sir?"

"I was hoping to catch you. C'mon, you do a have mission to get to." TrueShot continued to walk on as she reached the mech.

"Right, of course sir." Makeshift hastily made his way to her side and the two walked together to the bridge.

TrueShot glanced to a couple drones as they worked to fix a section of the wall, probably damage from one of Starscream's recent beatings from Megatron. "Did you do your research?"

"Watched as many of the vids as I could find of the 'bot. I like to think I got his personality down pretty good." Makeshift gave her a sly grin as he boasted on his prowess in subterfuge.

"You had better." The duo halted as they had reached the doors leading onto the main bridge. "Not only will you be surrounded by the 'bots, but you'll likely lose connection with the _Nemesis_."

"Then we've got nothing to worry about."

They entered the bridge together, finding Soundwave playing back the recent communication between the Autobots on Earth and the newcomer.

"Bulkhead? That you? What's with all the security?"

"The rock we're on is crawling with 'cons."

The attention turned from Soundwave's face display to Starscream as he addressed Makeshift. "Good, you're finally here." He barely glanced towards TrueShot, but she did catch the quick glare he sent her. "We haven't much time."

"Makeshift isn't one of our drones, Starscream." Megatron began, speaking as if he was reminding Starscream of the fact. "If your plan goes awry there will be consequences."

"But of course, Lord Megatron." The seeker placed a hand onto his chest as he did a slight bow towards Megatron. "Besides, how would the Autobots be able to tell the difference. Makeshift was personally trained by one of our _greatest_ warriors." With a wave of his hand, Starscream had motioned towards TrueShot. Starscream had turned to see her reaction, but was met instead by a vicious glare and a low growl. His gaze did not remain long as Starscream immediately looked away and back to Megatron. Only to be met with a similar look.

"Er, Soundwave, if you would."

TrueShot smiled, satisfied that Starscream had not just recieved her dissatisfaction, but Megatron's as well. Though the seeker was quick to hide his own reaction of the situation, he was slightly panicking inside.

Their attention was turned onto Soundwave as his tendrils reached out and attached themselves to Makeshift. The mech's body began to shift beside her. All his jagged pieces turning into a blockier look.

"See you soon buddy, I'll make sure you get a proper welcome."

"I, too, know how to prepare a proper welcome." TrueShot almost hoped this plan would not work, if only to upset Starscream.

"TrueShot, take a squadron of drones with you, shoot down the Autobot's ship and capture him. Then we will make the switch." This was Starscream's plan, so why was Megatron giving her the order. Oh yeah, because she refuses to listen to Starscream. The wimp.

"As you say, my lord." TrueShot could practically feel the anger coming off Starscream as she responded respectfully to Megatron. It was not like she hated the mech. The guy just needed a bit more humility in his life. And to stop trying to kill Megatron, and her in the resulting crossfire. "See you top-side, Wheeljack."

The femme made her way to the ground-bridge room, gathering the drones as she went. Together, they went through the portal, transforming as they did so. They exited high in the air, flying in a 'V' formation, with TrueShot at the head. Minutes later they had found Wheeljack's ship and began firing.

The mech attempted to dodge as much of their fire as he could, doing various maneuvers in the air. He was unsuccessful, as not long after, his ship began to emit smoke. TrueShot led the drones down onto the ground as Wheeljack's ship crashed. The group of 'cons transformed into their bipedal modes, weapons at the ready, as they approached the ship.

TrueShot tightly gripped her swords as her optics looked over the ship, searching for any sign of movement. A bolt flew out from the smoke towards TrueShot. Instinctively, she dodged out of the way, resulting in the drone behind her getting shot.

"If you're trying to ruin my day, you're gonna have to try harder."

"I'm not even trying, yet." TrueShot raised her swords and charged towards the 'bot.

Wheeljack's face mask slid into place. Behind her, the drones began to fire at the Autobot, only for him to dodge to the side and jump right into the middle of them. TrueShot skidded to a halt as she twisted around to face the group. He had already disposed of two other drones, in quick succession, by the time TrueShot reached him. Swinging both of her swords around, she knocked him to the side before he could hit the next drone.

In a response to her weapons, Wheeljack had taken out his own swords. "You 'cons have gone soft on me. I was expecting more of a fight, especially from an ex-pit fighter. Aren't you supposed to be dead?" They began to circle each other, the last couple of drones on the sidelines, waiting for their chance to strike.

TrueShot threw the first blow. She threw most of her weight onto the one sword as she aimed to cut him down from his shoulder. Being smaller than her, Wheeljack had to use both of his swords to hold off her one. "And here I was expecting more explosions from an ex-wrecker."

"If you want explosions," using the force from her strike, Wheeljack pushed himself back and away from her. "Then I'll give you some ex-" He let out a shout as he was hit with a taser-like shot from behind. As he fell onto the ground, Wheeljack watched in confusion when a look-alike came into his view.

"Nice job." TrueShot congratulated Makeshift. In the fight, Wheeljack did not notice the ground-bridge that had opened up behind him. "You two, get him into a cell. The rest of you, get into position." The last thing Wheeljack saw before he went into recharge was a drone, TrueShot, and a copy of himself.

Makeshift took out his swords and got into a battle position. "Alright, you better make this look good, youngling." TrueShot readied her own swords.

"Youngling? Please, just because you're older than me doesn't mean you have to call me that."

"Oh yeah? Then prove it."

Another ground-bridge opened up, allowing Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead to join the fight and save 'Wheeljack'. Makeshift turned away from TrueShot, dodging her swords, and went to stab his own swords through the last drone.

TrueShot glanced from Makeshift to the newcomers, growling as she sheathed her swords. "This isn't over Autobot scum!" Before the 'bots had a chance to react, TrueShot had transformed and flew away. If this plan did not work, she would have Starscream's head. For now, she would just have to return to the _Nemesis_ where she would play the waiting game.

* * *

"All I'm saying, is that the next time you decide to go for a joyride you should let me know. I haven't gone for a cruise in sometime. Plus they're better when you have someone else to drive alongside you." Trueshot was leaning with her back against one of the walls in the medical center. She had decided to wait out here for a while before going up top to join Starscream and Soundwave, along with a squadron of drones, to raid the Autobot's base. Knowing Starscream he would probably complain the whole time they waited.

KnockOut was in front of her working on some medical tool atop a counter. "Perhaps when I get some free time I'll let you tag along with me. The earthlings have these underground races that are fairly enjoyable to join."

"'Let me'? My dear doctor, I hold a higher rank than you," The femme sauntered forward to join him at the table. "I could order you to do jumping-jacks and you'd have to follow my orders." TrueShot leaned down onto the table so that she was at eye level with him.

The mech jolted up from his work, realization on his face that he might have overstepped. Though he was not truly sure as he stared back at TrueShot's smirking face. "Erm, jumping-who now?" KnockOut smoothly recovered.

TrueShot remained silent a few seconds more before standing back up straight. "Don't look so tense doctor, I jest." The femme began to make her way out of the room. "If you'll excuse me now, I have to go see how Starscream's plan is doing."

"Right, of course. Nice chatting with you then commander." KnockOut watched her leave before eventually going back to his tinkering.

In the hallway, TrueShot mentally laughed to herself. She enjoyed giving him a hard time.

As she reached the top of the ship, TrueShot found a battalion of drones with Starscream at the head. He seemed a bit angry as he paced in front of the drones.

"Are you certain we are at the coordinates you supplied to Makeshift?" Starscream spoke aloud into his comm. There was a pause, she assumed Megatron was replying. "Then, what is taking him so long?"

"You do realize that undercover missions can sometimes take a while, especially if you want it done right." TrueShot decided to answer the seeker as she reached him.

Starscream opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off. "Maybe they gave your boy such a hero's welcome, he got the warm and fuzzies and decided to switch sides." Wheeljack was walking towards them from the other side; he'd somehow gotten loose.

The femme snorted loudly at the 'bot. "Yeah, and Starscream here is secretly a femme."

"How dare you- "

"Why don't you do yourself a favour and find your way back to your cell?" TrueShot cut off Starscream before he could retaliate.

"Why don't you come make me?"

"Do you not see that you are vastly outnumbered?" Starscream turned his attention to the escaped Autobot.

Wheeljack was nearly to them now. "I see fellas who might vastly enjoy watching me pound some dents into you."

Starscream snapped. "Destroy him!" He ordered the drones. TrueShot took a few steps back, watching Starscream's plan come undone. The battalion charged forward, as did Wheeljack. The drones began blasting at the Autobot as he drew his own swords and charged into the drones.

The Autobot swiftly deflected the bolts, dodging others. Starscream launched a missile from his arm. It looked to have barely missed the 'bot and instead hit just in front of Wheeljack as he jumped backwards to dodge it.

The drones that had now managed to get to Wheeljack were now being sliced down with his swords. After taking a few down, Wheeljack launched himself in the air using some drones. He landed on top of Starscream, knocking the seeker down.

All attention was drawn away as a ground bridge opened on top of the ship. Wheeljack made a run for it.

"Frag." TrueShot chased after the 'bot and into the ground bridge. She could see Makeshift at the end slowly backing up into the portal. Wheeljack jumped up, tackling the disguised 'con and knocking him into some equipment.

The Autobot's attention having been drawn onto the real Wheeljack, allowed TrueShot a moment of surprise. She rammed herself into Wheeljack, knocking him onto the floor. Miko, who had been on the ground in front of him, was swiftly picked up by Bulkhead. Using the momentum she slid herself in front of Makeshift and drew her swords. One sword pointed towards Ratchet who stood at the ground bridge controls while the other was pointed to remaining Autobots.

"TrueShot?!" Ratchet exclaimed as he took a few steps back.

The triple-changer wildly glanced around at the 'bots, daring them to make a move. The sound of swords being drawn behind could be heard as Makeshift came to. In turn, WheelJack drew his swords.

"This fights mine commander."

"Then don't fail." TrueShot allowed him to walk around her to meet Wheeljack.

Everyone watched in anticipation as the two mechs began to circle each other, swords at the ready. No one was sure who made the first move, but the two were quick to trade blows.

"Which one is the real Wheeljack?" Rafael asked from below Bulkhead.

Miko attempted to point him out, but found herself unable. "I lost track!"

Suddenly, Wheeljack landed a blow onto Makeshift, knocking his swords out from his hands before punching the 'con onto the floor.

There was a silence as Bulkhead stared at the real Wheeljack. "That's my Jackie."

"And that's my cue to leave." TrueShot pointed a sword at Wheeljack, forcing him to move away from the fallen Makeshift. With the other sword still pointed to Ratchet she called on him. "You, open the ground bridge back up."

"You're outnumbered, we should take both of you hostage!" Ratchet tersely replied.

TrueShot laughed. "I don't see Prime around and I doubt any of you would want to take me on. Especially with humans around. And boy do I like a messy fight." Reluctantly, Ratchet succumbed and reopened the ground bridge.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Wheeljack moving. Swiftly, TrueShot turned her attention onto the wrecker. Wheeljack put both of his hands up and backed away. Makeshift once again came to and managed to stand back up.

"You first Makeshift, I've got your back."

"Right away commander."

Makeshift ran through the ground bridge, followed by TrueShot as she backed into the bridge before putting up her swords and running through herself. The portal closed promptly behind them as their feet touched the ship's surface.

Starscream came to stand before them. "Please tell me that you at least learned the location of their base!"

"Indeed, Commander Starscream," TrueShot heard beeping. Quickly checking herself over she found nothing. Turning her attention onto Makeshift she discovered one of the bombs at his waist was now activated. "It's in a hidden bunker-"

Starscream seemed to have noticed the beeping as well and was inspecting Makeshift.

"Makeshift get down!"

"You fool!" TrueShot had run to Makeshift, while in turn Starscream and backed up some feet. "Back, back, back!"

TrueShot grabbed onto Makeshift with one hand, while the other removed the bomb. Starscream was running, pushing drones to the side as he took off into the air. In one motion, TrueShot threw the bomb straight up into the air, while pushing Makeshift down and covering him up with her own body.

Above them, the bomb exploded into a blue mist-like shape. The remaining drones were all hit by the blast. The femme felt an intense burning sensation on her back, wings especially as she had tried to use them to cover Makeshift.

With the last of her strength, TrueShot rolled herself off of Makeshift and onto the space beside him. "Commander!" He quickly looked her over, realizing what she had just done. "TrueShot! No, no."

Grabbing ahold of her arm, Makeshift slung it over his shoulders and started to drag her body to the medbay.

::Makeshift to KnockOut, I need a berth prepared right now!::

::Don't tell me, Starscream's plan blew up in his face again?:: The doctor lazily replied.

::It's TrueShot, there was a bomb.::

::Bring her here immediately!::

The first few drones Makeshift passed by in his haste stepped aside as they watched him go down the hall with the half dead TrueShot. Thankfully, a couple of them moved to help him and lifted TrueShot up by her other arm.

Once they got into the medical ward, KnockOut directed them to a berth to place her on. The drones left the room as the scarlet 'con quickly went to work with various tools.

"Is the commander going to be okay?" Makeshift asked worriedly.

"She's in critical condition. Her wings are extremely damaged along with the rest of her back. I'm putting her into stasis."

Makeshift could only watch as KnockOut went about his diagnostics tests. He silently wished he took some form of medical training.

"I suggest you report to Lord Megatron about your mission. I'm going to need to be alone to be able to concentrate." KnockOut directed him.

"Of course. Keep me updated." Makeshift swiftly left the room and headed to the bridge.


End file.
